The Philippine National Police anti-criminality campaign, particularly in illegal drugs war, is expected to be boosted with the addition of 130 patrol vehicles which Korean government has donated to the law enforcement agency.
The 130 patrol vehicles which was donated by the Korea International Cooperation Agency was turned over to PNP chief Oscar Albayalde by Korean Ambassador Han Dong-Man and Commissioner General of Korea National Police Agency Lee Chul-Sung.
The Korean vehicles consisting of 49 units of Hyundai Elantra and 81 units of Starex Van were personally witnessed by Albayalde during a simple turnover rites held at Camp Tomas Karingal in Quezon City.
Albayalde said the latest addition to police mobility will be equally distributed to the Directorate for Investigation and Detection Management, Criminal Investigation and Detective Group, Anti-kidnapping Group, Anti-Cybercrime Group, and National Capital Region Police Office.
He said police offices in Angeles City, the cities in Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Davao and Baguio, which has sizeable Korean communities, will also be provided with the patrol vehicles to enhance the PNP’s anti-criminality and police visibility campaign.
Aside from using the new vehicles to help solve crimes in the country, Albayalde said the vehicles will also be used to intercept high-mobile criminal syndicates who prey on their would-be victims at random, especially among Korean traders and their families.
As a gesture of gratituted to the Korean government, Albayalde said the vehicles will help solve cases involving Korean nationals, including the killing of Jee Ick-Joo inside Camp Crame days after he was kidnapped in Angeles City in October 2016.
“What the Korean Ambassador had asked the PNP was the resolution of cases involving Korean nationals. We promised the Ambassador that we will exert our best efforts in order to resolve these cases,” Albayalde said.
The PNP chief also promised to the Korean Ambassador that the PNP will take care of the donated patrol vehicles which will be issued to the personnel piloting it to ensure proper maintenance and handling.
Recently, a Korean tourist—Kim Woon Oh, was kidnapped and shot dead in a forested area in North Caloocan by still unidentified gunmen.
Albayalde said the donated patrol vehicles still fall short of the needed patrol car the PNP has in its inventory.
The casualties in the government anti-illegal drugs Meanwhile, the PNP said the war on drugs has so far claimed the lives of 4,279 drug suspects while 140 others were arrested since President Rodrigo Duterte started the campaign to eradicate the drug menace in 2016.
The latest update of the government’s battle against illegal drugs was presented during the second year anniversary of the #RealNumbersPH in Camp Crame on Tuesday.
Statistics show that 28 more drug suspects have been killed in the last weeks of police operation, bringing the total number of drugs suspects killed to 4,2799.
In the same tally, it reported that 143,335 drug personalities were arrested in 99,485 on separate operations from July 1, 2016 to May 15, 2018, representing a 0.89 percent increase or 1,266 drugs suspects nabbed from July 1, 2016 to April 30, 201.
