Pubdate: Fri, 19 Aug 2016
Source: Philippine Star (Philippines)
Copyright: PhilSTAR Daily Inc. 2016
Contact:  http://www.philstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/622

BEYOND THE KILLINGS

The police service celebrated its 115th anniversary the other day as 
the Senate prepared to launch an inquiry into the spate of killings 
of drug suspects since President Duterte assumed power. The official 
toll, according to Philippine National Police officials, was 1,564 as 
of yesterday, with 899 attributed not to PNP members but to vigilantes.

Echoing the President, PNP officials have defended the mass killings, 
trotting out statistics to show that the crime rate has gone down. 
The homicide rate, of course, has soared and is sure to be the 
highest in this part of the world. Whether the victim was a drug 
dealer or law-abiding civilian, each killing must be probed and the 
perpetrator brought to justice.

Catching murderers and helping crime victims get justice are among 
the tasks of the police. President Duterte rose to power on an 
anticrime platform, promising to significantly curb criminality and 
the drug menace within three to six months. During the campaign, he 
made no secret of his planned method of bringing peace and order. The 
killings have been criticized even by the United Nations, which has 
called for compassion as World Humanitarian Day is observed today. 
But the President says he is merely fulfilling his campaign promise.

Fighting criminality, however, also requires modern methods of law 
enforcement, which require proper training and equipment as well as 
forensic laboratory facilities for the police. Solving a crime does 
not stop at the arrest or execution of a suspect, who may be 
innocent. The suspect must be prosecuted, convicted, penalized and, 
where possible, rehabilitated. The case must stand in court, which 
requires arresting or raiding officers to know the legal requirements 
so that a defendant is not cleared on technicalities.

As important as solving crimes and neutralizing threats to society is 
crime prevention. This does not need to entail extrajudicial methods. 
The police service, which is civilian in nature, must work with 
communities to help prevent crimes. Community cooperation is best 
achieved when law-abiding people trust rather than fear the police. 
And effective law enforcement cannot be anchored on extrajudicial methods.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom