Napolcom wants to clear case backlog vs erring cops ‘quickly, correctly’
The DILG-Napolcom Building on EDSA corner Quezon Avenue in Quezon City. Image from the DILG’s Facebook page.
MANILA, Philippines — The National Police Commission (Napolcom) said it wanted to clear out its case backlog against erring police officers “quickly and correctly” by the end of 2025.
“We need to clean out cases, whatever it is,” Napolcom Vice Chairperson and Executive Officer Rafael Calinisan said in an interview with reporters at his office in Quezon City on Thursday.
“Cases must be disposed of quickly and correctly. If your decision is right but incredibly slow, there’s no justice. If your decision is incredibly fast but wrong, there’s also no justice,” he added.
Last June, Napolcom set a 60-day timeline for case resolution as part of a bid to “restore public trust and improve morale within the police organization by ensuring swift and fair resolutions to administrative complaints.”
READ: Napolcom to resolve cases vs erring cops in 60 working days
“Yesterday, we resolved 48 cases. Two days ago, we solved more than 100 cases. I just stepped out a while and we are discussing case number 44,” he added.
“We will zero out the backlog for the complainants so they can finally have justice and also for the respondents. If they are innocent, they can be free. But if these police officers accused do have a case where they should be removed from the service, so be it,” he added.
Napolcom is among the disciplinary authorities of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The PNP Internal Affairs Service, the People’s Law Enforcement Board, the PNP regional directors and the PNP chief are also among the national police’s disciplinary mechanisms. /mr
