By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan / Philippine News Agency
Personnel of the National Capital Region Office (NCRPO) are warned against using sirens and blinkers on their vehicles to ensure that these equipment remain symbols of authority, not abuse.
NCRPO Chief Police Maj. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. also warned police officers who deliberately use recovered motor vehicles and motorcycles for personal use, saying these violate existing laws and standard operating procedures.
“Our Chief Philippine National Police (Gen. Dionardo Carlos) is firm in his warning to fire any police officer who will be found using recovered motor vehicles and motorcycles. This call shall be implemented strictly in this region and I will personally make sure that police officers found guilty of violating this order shall be dealt with accordingly,” Danao said.
Carlos earlier ordered the PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG) to go after motorists, including law enforcement officers, who make unauthorized use of sirens, blinkers, and other gadgets on their personal vehicles, which is prohibited by law.
Private motorists found using banned gadgets will be required to dismantle and surrender them to PNP-HPG before citation tickets are issued.
“This is part of our effort to instill discipline among our men to ensure that we keep a strong sense of moral fiber in our ranks. This is the very foundation of public service and one of the most definite ways to regain the trust and confidence of the citizenry to their police,” Danao said.
Police are also prohibited from carrying firearms starting Jan. 9 to June 8 next year, as part of the NCRPO’s operational guidelines for the upcoming national and local elections.
“On the other hand, the public can highly expect that our policemen will implement the Comelec’s gun ban policy with a sufficient number of checkpoints in the metropolis to help deter criminal minds [from] executing their evil designs,” Danao said. (PNA) – jlo
