A body of a child found buried in an illegal cemetery of Socorro Bayanihan Services Incorporated (SBSI) on Saturday. Senator Risa Hontiveros said the child died because the SBSI leader did not want the child to be taken to the city for medication. (File photo from Sen. Hontiveros鈥� Facebook page.)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Using the number of arrests as a performance metric 鈥渕ay unintentionally pressure officers to prioritize quantity over quality,鈥� the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) reminded authorities on Tuesday.
The CHR鈥檚 reminder came after newly-installed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III said that increasing the number of arrest will be a key metric in the police force鈥� campaign against illegal drugs.
鈥淗istorically, such frameworks have risked incentivizing shortcuts, abusive or arbitrary practices which undermine human rights and erode public trust in law enforcement,鈥� the commission said in a statement.
鈥淭he CHR maintains that effective policing is best measured not by the volume of arrests, but by the quality of investigations, respect for due process, and the consistent upholding of legal and ethical standards,鈥� it added.
In line with this, the commission encouraged the PNP leadership to set 鈥渃lear, rights-based guidelines for performance evaluation.鈥�
The CHR explained that this will ensure that any operational targets 鈥渄o not compromise civil liberties or lead to discrimination, especially against vulnerable sectors who are prone to abuse due to lack of access to remedies.鈥�
鈥淭he Commission is hopeful of PNP Chief Torre鈥檚 expression of commitment in ensuring professionalism and rule of law within the police force,鈥� it added.
Nevertheless, the CHR welcomed the appointment of Torre, saying that it supports the PNP under his leadership./apl