ILOILO — Solving crimes and delivering justice to victims — not merely putting suspects behind bars — must be the ultimate measure of police performance, the top police official in Western Visayas told the Iloilo Provincial Police Office (IPPO) as he gave the provincial force a 7.5 out of 10 rating.
Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) director Police Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño said the IPPO is generally performing well, but the remaining 2.5 points underscore weaknesses that must still be addressed, particularly in police operations and the resolution of criminal incidents.
“The 7.5, for me, is a good rating. But there are still 2.5 points that we need to improve,” Tuaño said during his first command visit to the IPPO on Monday, September 7.
Tuaño made clear that arrests alone should not be used as the yardstick for determining whether police units are effectively fighting crime.
“We should not only look at how many suspects we have arrested. What is important is that we resolve the criminal incidents that happen in our communities,” Tuaño said.
He said police investigators and commanders must see criminal cases through to their resolution and ensure that victims receive justice.
“The most important basis for measuring police performance is that every incident that happens should have a clear solution. There should be a resolution and justice for the victims,” he said.
Tuaño particularly directed police commanders to closely monitor the eight focus crimes, including efforts to identify and arrest suspects and, more importantly, resolve cases.
“For me, the best indicator is not simply the number of arrests. It is when an incident happens, we are able to identify what happened, identify the suspect, resolve the case and give justice to the victim,” Tuaño said.
The PRO-6 chief said the 7.5 rating should not be interpreted to mean that the IPPO has already reached its optimum performance level.
“There is always room for improvement. What is important is that we identify where the deficiencies are and determine what we need to do to improve our performance,” he said.
Tuaño said he would continue auditing and evaluating police commanders and their units across Western Visayas to determine whether they are meeting operational targets and effectively responding to crimes in their jurisdictions.
“If there are shortcomings in a particular operation, we have to look at the strengths and weaknesses of that unit and balance them,” Tuaño said.
He also wants police performance evaluated continuously rather than only during periodic assessments.
“Every day, we should evaluate our accomplishments, especially regarding focus crimes that occur in our respective areas,” he said.
During Monday’s command conference, Tuaño zeroed in on unresolved cases and ordered commanders to determine what has prevented these cases from being solved and what measures could accelerate their resolution.
“We will focus on the cases that remain unresolved. We have to know why these cases remain unresolved and what we can do to address them,” he said.
Tuaño was welcomed during his first command visit by Iloilo provincial police chief Colonel Bayani Razalan.
The visit also included the unveiling of a marker, ribbon-cutting and blessing of the Baganihan Hall, and a feature presentation titled “A Glimpse of Digital Coffee Table Book.”/PN
