There is no such thing as a “quota system” for the number of arrests, according to the acting Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr.
RH Edniel Parrosa reported on Monday, September 1, that Nartatez clarified in a press briefing at Camp Crame that their directives were based on the PNP data and records.
“Lahat ng ating anti-criminality efforts, partikular sa crime prevention, ay nakaangkla sa Enhanced Managing Police Operations o EMPO. Ang mga resulta na ito ay malinaw na patunay ng dedikasyon ng ating mga yunit sa pagpapanatili ng kaligtasan ng komunidad at pagtitiyak ng tiwala ng publiko,” Nartatez said.
This clarification comes after detainee rights advocacy groups ‘KAPATID’ called on the PNP to take back what former PNP Chief PGen. Nicolas Torre III said about using the number of arrests as a metric for police personnel’s performance.
Last June, Torre said that he would be using the police officers’ number of arrests as a metric for their performance. This also prompted the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to caution officials, stating that it might lead to the abuse of power and human rights violations.
Torre eventually clarified that it was not a “quota system,” but rather a “quality system.”
