A policeman and a criminology student were arrested recently for selling stolen motorcycles in an entrapment operation.
The duo’s modus operandi involved buying and selling stolen bikes.
Their market?
Mostly policemen who want to own cheap motorcycles.
How do the cops who buy the stolen motorcycles get a license for the bikes?
They don’t.
They just remove the license plate and replace it with a sign marked “For registration.”
Who would apprehend a policeman riding a motorcycle with a “For registration” sign?
The stolen motorcycle owned by the policeman-fence would sport the “For registration” sign until the bike turns rusty and no longer runs.
If you see a uniformed policeman on a motorcycle with no license plate, chances are that bike is stolen.
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The arrest of the criminology student and the policeman for fencing—buying or selling stolen goods—says a lot about our police and future cops.
That criminology student is off to an early start.
He knows that after he graduates and enters the police force, he will be in good company.
When will the Philippine National Police (PNP) reform itself?
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Of course, there are more decent and honest cops than there are crooks in the PNP.
The decent and honest ones are mostly found in the provinces, far from Metro Manila.
Metro Manila cops, with a few exceptions, are among the most undisciplined and corrupt in the world.
I say this without batting an eyelash because my public service program, “Isumbong mo kay Tulfo,” has received so many citizens’ complaints about abusive cops in Metro Manila, so many that I’ve lost count.
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Why are members of the PNP more undisciplined now than they were during the days of the Integrated National Police (INP)?
Answer: The civilian character of the PNP, which the 1987 Constitution mandates.
Under the previous Constitution, a policeman who openly commits grave abuse of authority can be fired outright.
But now, he has to undergo “due process of law” such as facing a case filed against him by a complainant in court or an administrative body like the National Police Commission (Napolcom).
The hearing of the case drags on for years and citizens who were aggrieved by abusive cops lose interest in pursuing justice.
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What’s the solution?
Expedite all cases against cops pending in the Napolcom and other administrative bodies.
Set a deadline—say, two to three weeks—for the resolution of the case.
C’mon, guys, it’s so easy to know if a complaint against a cop is true or fabricated.