Sunday, October 22, 2006 CV chief orders inquiry, as new police cars get withheld
THE 10 Toyota Innova vans pulled out from the Mobile Patrol Group may not be returned immediately, as results of the investigation on two policemen have yet to be completed.
Police Regional Office 7 Director Silverio Alarcio Jr. said regulations need to be followed before erring policemen are meted sanctions.
PO2 Junicar Estiñoso and PO1 MC Stuart Balang are under investigation after one of the vans bumped into a parked taxicab outside a motel Thursday dawn.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña earlier said the vans will be returned only if the two policemen are kicked out of Cebu.
Though he admitted the vans were badly needed for police patrols, Alarcio said they will also be questioned if they fail to follow procedure in handing out punishment to their policemen.
“I already told the chief of staff to restrict them and immediately conduct investigation and come up with immediate results,” Alarcio told radio dyLA.
The two policemen were restricted to the Regional Headquarters Service Group.
Alarcio said he does not blame Osmeña for pulling out the Innova vans. “I would do the same just to deliver my message,” he said.
Alarcio also reminded unit commanders to follow up with their subordinates if their instructions were being followed, to avoid such incidents.
“They must realize their responsibility over their policemen. It is not enough that you brief them today. You must check tomorrow if they followed your instructions,” Alarcio said.
He said it was the immediate commander’s liability if instructions were not followed and that it was their responsibility to find out if their men were conforming to existing guidelines.
Asked if Estiñoso’s alibi was excusable, Alarcio nearly scoffed.
“It’s not logical. If he wanted to use the CR, the driver should have waited for him,” he said.
However, he declined to say what else he thought about the incident, saying these were matters for investigators to determine. (MEA)
