POLICE Regional Office Central Visayas (PRO 7) Director Brigadier General Anthony Aberin ordered all police station chiefs in the Central Visayas to remove the window tint from patrol cars so the police officers can be seen inside.
He also instructed his men to switch off the car’s air-conditioning when on standby in order to save fuel.
According to Aberin, their superiors expected them to be open and honest and to demonstrate to the public that the police were not dozing off in the patrol car.
Aberin’s directive came after two police officers from Abellana Police Station 2 were photographed sleeping inside a patrol car along General Maxilom Avenue in Cebu City at dawn on Thursday, April 13, 2023.
The two policemen were relieved of duty and will be subjected to a pre-charge investigation by the City Investigation and Detective Management Unit of the Cebu City Police Office.
Major Nolan Tagsip, chief of Abellana Police Station, said his personnel had 12 hours of duty and were supposed to leave at 8 a.m. on Thursday, but he was shocked to learn that at 6 a.m., a photo of them shot by a Facebook user Alex Lim became viral on social media.
Pelare, meanwhile, clarified that all the patrol cars issued by the Philippine National Police were not tinted.
But Aberin noticed that some vehicles donated by the local government units to the police had tinted windows.
“Ang gusto sa atoang regional director including those donated by local government units and stakeholders we will request nga dili siya tinted kay gusto niya nga makita og unsay gibuhat sa sulod sa mga police dili mag cellphone nya dili sad mag aircon kanang bitaw nga mag standby because we will be wasting resources,” Pelare said.
(Our regional director wants (the vehicles), including those donated by local government units and stakeholders, we will request that they should not be tinted because he wants to see what the police are doing inside, such as not using their cellphones and the air conditioner, like when they are on standby because we will be wasting resources).
Pelare said General Aberin had earlier directed all police personnel in the Central Visayas to go back to the basics, one of which is to not sleep while on duty. (AYB, TPT)