Regain people’s respect, PNP chief exhorts cops

Philippine National Police Deputy Director General Alan Purisima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The country’s police on Wednesday said he hoped 2013 would bring a better mindset to Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel so the police organization could regain the people’s respect as law enforcers.

In his new year’s message on Jan. 1, PNP Director General Alan Purisima urged the 148,000-member police force to be good examples for the public by carrying out their duties and responsibilities “with honor and competence.”

“A police officer should be the first in showing a good example of public service. If we don’t, then surely our countrymen will be disappointed,” said Purisima.

Purisima, who replaced retired Director General Nicanor Bartolome on Dec. 18, vowed to continue the reform programs initiated by his predecessors.

“What I want is for policemen to treat our job with dignity and competence. We should bring back honor to the words ’police officer’ and ’law enforcer,’” he said.

“In this way, we can earn back the admiration of the whole nation for the police. This may be difficult to do. But I assure you that I will lead you in this endeavor for the interest of the country and the national police,” he said.

He said this could only be done if every police officer were to provide serbisyong makatotohanan (honest service).

He said every policeman should “aspire for excellence in carrying out his duties” and for the police force to “transform itself into a fully professional group of police heroes.”

The PNP chief said he had spelled out his plans for the PNP in his “strategic focus” program called “Code-P: 2013 and Beyond” which he said was consistent with the PNP’s long-term program “PNP Patrol Plan 2030.”

Code-P stands for competence, organizational development, discipline, excellence and professionalism.