POLICE commanders were told to strictly abide with the Intensified Cleanliness Policy (ICP) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) or they will face sanctions.
This was the warning issued by PNP Chief, Police General Guillermo Eleazar, after the Internal Affairs Service (IAS) sought an explanation from the commander of Police Station 1 in Mandaue City, Cebu for non-compliance with the ICP.
“Magsilbing babala sana itong nangyari sa isang police station sa Cebu. Laging tandaan ng ating mga kapulisan na hindi lang mga mata ng taga-PNP, ng IAS, ang nagoobserba at nagbabantay sa ating mga police stations sa iba’t-ibang sulok ng bansa para siguraduhing malinis ang mga ito at sila’y tumatalima sa ating ICP,” said PGen Eleazar.
“Mas mahalaga na panatilihin nating malinis, maayos at may sapat na bilang ng pulis ang ating mga presinto at mga tanggapan para hindi kahiya-hiya sa publiko at hindi mag-atubili ang ating mga kababayan na lumapit sa atin,” he added.
A surprise inspection by the IAS at the station at 2 p.m. on June 26 found a dirty police station manned by an insufficient number of police personnel. The IAS inspection team also found clothes hung to dry inside the police station, an empty bottle of alcoholic beverage, improperly labeled garbage bins, and even dog excrement.
Only four out of 45 personnel were present for the IAS inspection. According to the IAS, even the station commander was not there at the time of the inspection. The deputy station commander was present but was observed to be inattentive and could not account for how many personnel were at the police station at the time of inspection.
The IAS inspectors also noticed that the desk officer was not properly wearing his face mask and had no face shield.
“Due process will be observed in the case of that Mandaue City police station and we will wait for the explanation of the station commander why these violations of the ICP were committed. Anong ginagawa niya bakit ganito nadatnan ang kanilang istasyon? Diyan din papasok ang effective supervision na noon pa natin pinapaalala sa ating police commanders,” PGen Eleazar said.
The ICP in offices ensures that all police precincts and stations are kept clean and presentable which would reflect well on the policemen assigned there. Through this, PGen. Eleazar said the police would gain the public’s confidence.
When he assumed the post as PNP Chief, PGen Eleazar instituted the ICP, which is based on the Broken Windows Theory where small problems must be fixed immediately before they got bigger.