THE RETRAINING starting today of the Caloocan City police force, which has been involved in various controversies, including what has become a high-profile case of the killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos, is a demonstration “of the firm commitment of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to continuously cleanse its ranks of misfits and scalawags and maintain the integrity of the organization,” Presidential spokesperson Ernesto C. Abella said. “The PNP leadership’s effort to instill discipline and promote character-building while enhancing the performance of personnel and units would be relentless,” he said in a statement released by Malacañang yesterday. Last Sept. 15, National Capital Region Police Director Oscar D. Albayalde relieved all Caloocan policemen after reports of their involvement in recent crimes, such as theft in a private residence that was caught in a closed-circuit television camera. “We call on everyone to rally behind our authorities as they enforce the law and carry out their operations within legal processes,” Mr. Abella said. — Rosemarie A. Zamora
