PNP unit to target 2,000 rogue cops

MANILA, Philippnes — The newly formed Philippine National Police Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (PNP-IMEG) is going after more than 2,000 rogue cops, the highest ranking of whom are colonels.

Under lifestyle check by the integrity monitors are 2,120 policemen, according to Lt. Col. Rey Lambojo, the chief of the new group.

In a radio interview on Sunday, Lambojo said 504 of the rogue cops were commissioned officers.

The rest are noncommissioned officers, he said.

Illegal drug trade

Most of the high-ranking policemen being investigated are allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade, particularly in the protection of drug traders, Lambojo said.

He acknowledged rumors about a police general involved in the narcotics trade, but said these were just rumors and had yet to be confirmed.

The investigation by the integrity monitors is based on actual complaints on record, he said.

“A lifestyle check is conducted by our unit as part of the investigation. Once an erring  member of the PNP is arrested, we submit our case folder to the AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council),” Lambojo said.

The integrity monitors replaced the counterintelligence task force.

Among other things, they look into assets not declared by the suspects in their financial disclosures.

The unit was formed to “sustain the effort of the PNP’s internal cleansing program,” Lambojo said.

During its two-year run, he said, the counterintelligence task force was able to arrest 106 commissioned officers, 99 noncommissioned officers, and 194 civilians.

Sixty-six of the rogue policemen have been dismissed from the service for various crimes, including robbery or extortion, kidnapping, grave threat, physical injury, attempted homicide or murder, and protection racket.

“We’ve received the most complaints against NCRPO (National Capital Region Police Office) personnel. Thirty-six percent of these are for robbery [or] extortion,” Lambojo said.

He, however, said that fewer complaints had been received since January.

“There are days that we do not receive a complaint,” he said.

File complaints

Lambojo urged the public to come forward with complaints against rogue policemen, giving assurance that informers would be extended protection if needed.

The integrity monitors’ group was activated during the weekend as the main PNP unit for information-gathering and the conduct of operations against rogue policemen.

It has a staff of 306, backed by 72 members of the PNP Special Action Force.

Police Gen. Oscar Albayalde, the PNP chief, has said the internal cleansing program “will not spare anyone.”