DILG: 76 cops dismissed, nearly 200 demoted, suspended

A total of 76 policemen were dismissed from the service last year and nearly 200 others were meted out other penalties, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr said yesterday.

Abalos, chairman of the National Police Commission (Napolcom), made the remarks during the traditional New Year’s call at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

“In 2023, the Napolcom investigated and prepared a total of 681 investigation reports and rendered decisions on 437 summary dismissal cases, including 76 who were dismissed from the service, 89 who were demoted, 93 who were suspended, and 11 who were reprimanded,” said Abalos.

Abalos said 177 policemen were also slapped with drug-related offenses last year in Metro Manila alone, of which 59 figured in the controversial seizure of 990 kilos of shabu in October 2022 at a money-lending firm owned by police M/Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo.

Abalos reported other achievements of the Department of Interior and Local Government in 2023, including on the continuing war against drugs which he said yielded P10.41 billion worth of illegal drugs.

He said 27,968 barangays were also cleared of illegal drugs.

“In total, 56,495 suspects were arrested in more than 44,000 anti-illegal drug operations,” he said.

Abalos also reported a successful campaign against criminality, noting an 8.44 percent decrease in eight focused crimes, from 38,302 as of January to November 2022 to 35,085 during the same period last year.

Abalos said there was also a 7.32 percent decrease in non-index crimes, from 160,000 from January to November 2022 to 148,300 during the same period last year.

He said the anti-crime campaign goes hand in hand with the efforts to cleanse the PNP of “scalawags and scoundrels.”

In January last year, Abalos called on all generals and colonels of the PNP to submit their courtesy resignations to give way to a “massive investigation of our police force over their complicity in the illegal drug trade.”