A call from a police officer to DYRD “Inyong Alagad” this morning triggered demands from the public for a province-wide replacement of all police chiefs.

The caller who identified himself as a police officer but preferred not to reveal his name told Police Superintendent Ricky Deliles, Public Information Officer of the Boho Police Provincial Office (BPPO) of the urgent need to relieve all police chiefs to lessen the growing public perception that there are sacred cows in the police ranks.

Calls suddenly mounted after the unidentified caller who claimed to be a police officer revealed to Deliles that the random drug tests conducted by the PNP on the rank and file was not a complete success since police officers who were into drugs were prepared for the tests by simply abstaining for several days from indulging their urge.

“I feel ashamed that my fellow officers who are into drugs are the same persons conducting Operation Tokhang and coddling local drug personalities since they are residents of their place of assignment”, said alleged police officer.

The officer called for the re-assignment of all police officers especially those who are residents of their place of assignment saying “I am willing to be assigned outside Bohol as long as these police officers coddling local drug personalities will be relieved”.

Deliles stressed that no police chief is assigned in his hometown and only 2% of the more than 1,500 officers are from their hometowns.

However, Deliles told the police officer that there is an ongoing cleansing of their ranks but due process have to be observed to protect innocent police officers of unfounded accusations of wrongdoing.

“We have  counter-intelligence unit that validates reports of drug using and coddling police officers”, Deliles said.

Callers informed Deliles that talks of police officers who were not part of the recent re-assignments of police chiefs were due to their connections with police officials in-charge with movements of police personnel.

Deliles informed listeners that he sits as chairman of the Provincial Police Oversight Committee that scrutinize and validates information on performance of police officers in the campaign against illegal drugs.

The recent re-assignment of police chiefs involved 17 out of the 48 police chiefs in Bohol that included new assignments for Alburquerque, Antequera, Dauis, Sagbayan, Catigbi-an, Corella, Candijay, Talibon, Sevilla, Bien Unido, Buenavista, Trinidad, Getafe, Bilar, Jagna, President Carlos P. Garcia and Tagbilaran City.

Ten police stations whose areas were tagged as deeply infiltrated, the police chiefs of Panglao, Inabanga, Clarin, Ubay and Carmen were retained in their present assignments.

Deliles stood by the police chief’s of Panglao and Balilihan when a caller decried their apparent tolerance for the proliferation of drug activities and other forms of criminality “Panglao’s record in it’s campaign against drugs was cited as one of the best performing police stations in Bohol”.

A special hot line number will be announced by Deliles to deal with information and complaints exclusively on illegal drugs. (Chito M. Visarra)