Caloocan draws elite police volunteers

Members of the Caloocan police assemble outside their headquarters. An order from the Metro Manila police chief is sending them to a “retraining” program due to the alleged abuses committed by a few bad eggs in the force.—NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

Some members of the elite Special Action Force and Davao police officers have expressed interest in being assigned to Caloocan City whose police force was relieved en masse last week.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Oscar Albayalde on Tuesday said some 100 policemen had volunteered for transfer to Caloocan.

The 1,200-strong city police force, except for the police chief and one of his deputies, was sacked and ordered  to undergo retraining after members of three precincts were accused of robbing a house during an unauthorized drug raid and of summarily executing teenagers Kian Loyd delos Santos and Carl Angelo Arnaiz.

Albayalde said PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa wanted the volunteers to undergo stringent screening.

Albayalde noted that  most of the volunteers were from SAF and PNP regional offices, including the Davao region.

Of the volunteers, priority will be given to Davao policemen, he added. —Jeannette Andrade