THE National Police (PNP) has moved to ensure that dismissed, settled, or acquitted cases will not cause unnecessary delays or ‘hits’ in police clearances.
The initiative aims to tighten data accuracy across all police units and protect citizens from the inconvenience of outdated or uncorrected entries in the PNP’s Crime Information Reporting and Analysis System (Ciras).
‘May standing directive po tayo na once a court order or resolution is received, dapat within days naka-upload na sa system [We have a standing directive that once a court order or resolution is received, it must be uploaded to the system within days],’ the acting PNP chief, Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., said in a statement Tuesday.
Courts to blame
HOWEVER, many acquitted persons said that the problem is not with the PNP but with the courts.
‘The courts are very fast in sending copies of warrants of arrest to the police and the National Bureau of Investigation but are notoriously slow in sending the lifting of those warrants,’ a newsman who was recently acquitted from a cyberlibel case by the Regional Trial Court in Quezon City said.
As a result the newsman had to go to three different police offices to present his acquittal decision to lift the ‘hits’ on his name – the police station nearest his office, the police station nearest his residence and the One Stop Shop at Camp Rafael T. Crame in Quezon City.
To address delays caused by the slow transmittal of court resolutions, Nartatez cited the need for tighter coordination with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other agencies in the judiciary.
Gaps
‘WE acknowledge that there are still gaps, especially sa bilis ng dating ng court orders sa mga istasyon [in the speed by which court orders reach the stations]. That is why we are working closely with the DOJ and the judiciary to establish faster data-sharing processes,’ he said.
He added that citizens should not be penalized only because of a delay in paperwork.
The PNP is also simplifying administrative clearance procedures for those whose dismissed cases still appear as derogatory entries, to reduce repetitive steps and prevent applicants from being sent to multiple units just to update records.
‘Gusto natin one-stop process na lang [We want a one-stop process]. And moving forward, we plan to shift more verification procedures online para mas mabilis at mas accessible [so that it will be faster and more accessible],’ Nartatez said.
The move is in line with the directive of President Marcos to strengthen public service delivery, modernize law enforcement systems, and ensure that clearance procedures are fair, transparent, and citizen-centered.