National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar. (File photo)
MANILA -- National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar on Thursday ordered police commanders to monitor incidents of crime and abuses committed by their personnel on social media.
Citing that he already started to utilize social media, Eleazar said commanders should veer away from the mindset that social media is only for millennials or young people.
For instance, the NCRPO chief said he is forwarding information he received or read from social media applications to concerned unit commanders for verification and appropriate action.
“If these are not acted upon, it is the police organization that is usually being bashed for alleged inaction, which is unfair because we have repeatedly proven that we would immediately act if complaints are made,” Eleazar told reporters.
He said such social media complaints have been instrumental in running after police abuses in the past.
He said the NCRPO, which was recently named as the best regional police office, has been using social media to monitor the good and bad deeds of Metro Manila cops.
"Your NCRPO is now social media active. In fact, we were able to monitor, identify and punish or reward our policemen through the photos and videos posted and shared in various social media platforms," he said.
Eleazar also said while the NCRPO is quick in punishing abusive policemen, it is also expedient in rewarding those who deserve praises.
The Metro Manila top cop also urged millennials to share good stories as well as the bad deeds of policemen through social media to boost the ongoing efforts to cleanse and regain the integrity of the police force.
The NCRPO chief stressed the importance of cooperation and participation of netizens, particularly the millennials, in improving the policing in Metro Manila.
"These are all about the future of their security and the future of peace and order in Metro Manila. They could do a lot in transforming the police organization into a professional police force, a police force with true sense of courage, public service and integrity," Eleazar said.
"Our goal is for every policeman to have a real sense of the meaning of integrity, that is, doing what is good and right even if no one is looking," he stressed.
Eleazar said this is the rationale behind the recently-launched Intensified Cleanliness Program (ICP) of the NCRPO which he describes as a blueprint of peace and order policy for Metro Manila.
He said the ICP has three basic tenets: cleanliness in police offices and their surroundings, cleanliness within the police ranks, and cleanliness of Metro Manila from crime and illegal drugs. (PNA)
