The Philippines’ top cop on Wednesday tore into senior officers for skipping work to play golf, saying this only added to the already dismal reputation of the force.
Director General Raul Bacalzo said he has banned police from the greens except on weekends as he tries to rebuild the force’s reputation after a bungled hostage rescue in August that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead.
“I have observed that some [police] personnel take the liberty of leaving their respective offices at any time of the day to play golf, to the detriment of their duties and responsibilities,” he said in a statement.
“This does not bode well [for] our effort towards genuine transformation and does not contribute to building a positive image.”
Bacalzo said he acknowledged the benefits of golf as physical exercise for his officers, but warned it must not be at the expense of their responsibilities.
“Hence, to rationalise and balance these things, personnel may play golf only [out of] office hours, [on] weekends or holidays.”
Earlier this week, President Benigno Aquino ordered charges filed against four top police officers for incompetence over their behaviour when a disgruntled ex-policeman took a bus-load of foreign tourists hostage earlier this year.
Investigators found the officers abandoned their command post to dine at a Chinese restaurant just as the hostage-taker began shooting the hostages. — AFP