TO prevent its use in criminal activities, the acting National Police (PNP) chief, Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., on Thursday ordered the implementation of stricter measures against the unauthorized use, manufacture and sale of police uniforms to protect the integrity and credibility of the service.
‘Our uniforms are not only a symbol of authority. They also represent the honor, integrity and professionalism of the organization which we represent. It is the obligation of every police officer to protect and wear them with pride and dignity,’ he said.
Nartatez has tasked PNP units to intensify the measures to protect police uniforms in order to ensure that law enforcement authorities maintain public trust and that official symbols of authority are safeguarded against misuse.
The first targets of the operation against the unauthorized sale of police uniforms and accessories are the stores surrounding the PNP National Headquarters at Camp Rafael T. Crame, Quezon City. Those stores sell uniforms, shirts, insignias and other pieces of police clothing to all comers without asking questions or demanding idenfication cards.
The order came as the National Police Commission convened its accredited uniform suppliers to discuss stricter measures and accountability against the illegal sale of police uniforms.
Authorities have noted an increasing prevalence of unauthorized sellers, both near the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City and across various online selling platforms.
Nartatez stressed that the PNP will actively collaborate with online selling platforms to curb illegal sales and will conduct inspections of physical stores, including those within and near the vicinity of Camp Crame, to verify authorization for uniform production and sale.
‘We will work with online selling platforms to thwart any illegal sale of police uniforms and we will also inspect stores to check if they are authorized to produce and sell these uniforms,” he said.
He explained that the PNP, as an organization, has gone through a long transformation to do away with negative public perceptions against the police force.
He then urged all policemen to be active in protecting PNP uniforms, insignias and all other accoutrements.
‘A number of policemen before us invested so much hard work and sacrifices for the Philippine National Police to become what it is now. Let us honor them by properly wearing them and doing nothing to compromise the integrity and honor of the police force,’ Nartatez added.