Wednesday, June 28, 2006
6 cops under fire
By Aquiles Zonio
SIX police officers from the South Cotabato Provincial Police Office are now under investigation for reportedly pawning their issued firearms.
Chief Superintendent German Doria, newly assumed Police Regional Office director in Soccsksargen, vowed to crack the whip against the erring policemen assigned with the Sto. Niño Municipal Police Station.
Doria said the six policemen whose names were not made available could face summary dismissal proceedings.
"What they did was tantamount to grave misconduct and the penalty for this is dismissal from the service," Doria said.
Doria learned about the pawned service firearms of the six Sto. Niño policemen after a raid conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Last week, the NBI, armed with a search warrant issued by Judge Oscar Noel, raided Tupi Pawnshop in Sto. Niño town, South Cotabato.
The NBI operatives and members of Sto. Niño Police station recovered six firearms, which later were identified as owned by policemen assigned in Sto. Niño.
NBI chief Boye Mama refused to divulge the names of the policemen involved as further investigation is still going on.
However, Mama claimed owners of the pawned government firearms have been frequenting the NBI office here pleading for the release of their firearms.
Doria, meanwhile, said he already directed the South Cotabato Provincial Police Office to conduct inventory of all government issued firearms within its area of responsibility.
"We would like to account all the government issued firearms in South Cotabato so we will know where these firearms are now. How could the policemen carry out their functions effectively if they don't have firearms?" Doria lamented.
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(June 26, 2006 issue)
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