Sinas won’t immediately relieve cops caught sleeping on duty

MANILA, Philippines — National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas said on Wednesday that he will not order the immediate relief of policemen caught sleeping on duty, noting that he will first consult the case with the respective police chief.

“We don’t usually pagalitan (scold them), I told my red team, we use technology, when you go there [at] nakita niyo diyan matulog, picturan niyo lang, tapos ‘yung officer gisingin na lang (if you see them sleeping, just take a photo then just wake them up),” Sinas said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.

“I let the chief of police first explain why. I will not relieve them immediately,” he added.

The Metro Manila police chief said he will relieve the sleeping lawman if the police chief can prove that their underling is “rotten.”

“I let the chief of police handle the problem first, have it explain na ganito, then kapag sinabi na sir, ‘talagang malatuba na ganun’ (if the police chief replies, ‘he is rotten’) then that’s the time we recall,” Sinas said.

“I want to exercise their rights, ngayon wala akong gagalawin (I won’t interfere immediately), I want to judge them later,” he added.

Sinas said if he chooses to relieve the policeman without due process, they will have difficulties replacing the police officer.

Sinas’ predecessor, former NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, was known for relieving police officers caught snoozing on the job. /je

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