The new chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) admitted that some policemen not only ride their motorbikes without using a helmet but also consider recovered stolen vehicles as their personal cars.
“While our personnel are doing their best to ensure the safety of the motorcycle-riding public, it’s also been observed that there are policemen who violate the law,” said Director General Nicanor Bartolome.
“Aside from the reports that have reached me, I have witnessed this myself,” he told reporters in Camp Crame on Monday.
“It’s important that we show that our policemen follow the law, and that we show that one can be arrested for not following the law,” Bartolome added.
The police official said he has ordered the PNP Highway Patrol Group commander, Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina, to make sure that policemen who are caught violating the “no helmet, no travel” policy will be served a traffic violation ticket.
Apart from the traffic citation, policemen who refuse to wear motorcycle helmets will also be face administrative charges, according to Bartolome.
“We must set the example so our policemen will be credible in implementing the law on others,” he said.
Bartolome said he also told Espina to make sure that no policeman is allowed to use impounded vehicles involved in carjacking cases.
“Those vehicles that have been recovered from car thieves or had been abandoned by carjackers should not be used by our policemen. These vehicles are part of the evidence and should not be used,” he said.
Bartolome said he also wants to see the apprehension of policemen who drive around in cars without license plates.