Albayalde vows to keep cops on their toes with surprise inspections

Newly installed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde would not be letting up on conducting his surprise inspections of police stations nationwide to make sure policemen on the ground are on their toes performing their duties.

In his first media conference as PNP boss at Camp Crame, Albayalde said he would continue checking on his men on the ground especially if he receives complaints from the public.

“Kung may nakukuha tayong text messages from our kababayan na meron pa rin (hindi nagtatrabaho) then we will go directly dun sa lugar na ‘yun o sa nasasakupang station na ‘yun,” Albayalde said on Friday.

(If we receive text messages from our fellow men that there are still policemen who stay slack on the job, we will go directly to that area or the station concerned.)

“If it takes the chief PNP to go there then we will make them answerable to us,” he added.

Albayalde, during his stint at the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), is known for his surprise visits at police stations. He would inspect whether policemen in those police stations were doing their job.

In his inaugural speech on Thursday, the new police chief said he expects provincial and city directors to conduct similar inspections to “regularly assess the readiness” of forces on the ground.

He said that internal cleansing and enforcing discipline among their ranks would be one of his key priorities as PNP chief, as he vowed to continue his “low-key but stern” kind of leadership.

Despite being tough, however, Albayalde said he would be fair and “lead by example.”

“I will not demand from you what I cannot demand from myself,” he declared, apparently addressing his subordinates. /kga