ZAMBOANGA CITY—Incensed by what she described as the police’s inability to solve the spate of killings here, Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar has sacked the city’s police chief, Senior Supt. Edwin de Ocampo.
“The people are outraged by the killings. We cannot tolerate the killings because that would be protecting the police for their ineffectiveness,” Salazar said.
At least 40 people have died from gun attacks since January and no suspect has yet been arrested, records of the city police showed.
4 cops slain, too
Four of them were even policemen, according to Chief Inspector Arlan Dalumpines, head of the city police’s investigation division. Senior Police Officer 2 Rowan Lim, SPO1 Bong Jambiran and PO1 Insang were killed on June 30, the day Salazar took her oath of office as mayor.
The fourth law enforcer, PO3 Husin Mushin, was shot and killed in Barangay Lower Calarian.
Salazar said the fact that the police officials were slow in solving the killings meant that somebody had to be accountable, especially the city police director.
As instructed by Chief Supt. Juanito Vano, Western Mindanao police director, De Ocampo will be replaced by another police official in an acting capacity, she said.
The city council adopted a resolution supporting Salazar’s decision to remove De Ocampo.
Salazar said she had started to oversee the police operations and even conduct patrols along with Councilor Roel Natividad in a bid to help the police solve criminality.
“I do the checking, lecture, investigate and give out assignments and tests,” the mayor said. “We will evaluate the gaps and see if they (policemen) needed to be retrained or suspended.”