NCRPO ‘Red Team’ catches 8 cops ‘sleeping while on duty’

FILE: Advocating Health Consciousness among the PNP personnel, PCSUPT DEBOLD M SINAS, RD, PRO7 invited a speaker from the DOH to talk on the ill-effects of smoking to the human body. PRO7 is proudly a Smoking Free Camp. (Photo: @pro7official/Twitter)

MANILA — A surveillance group of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), dubbed the ‘Red Team’, has caught eight cops sleeping on duty.

In a press briefing Tuesday, NCRPO chief, Brig.

Gen. Debold Sinas, said four of them are assigned in Makati City, two from Caloocan City and two from Valenzuela City.

“I did not relieve the eight policemen but allowed them to report and continue exercising their duties.

Instead, I told their superior officers to conduct an investigation and allow them to explain,” Sinas told reporters during a press briefing held at Quezon City Police District (QCPD).

The Metro Manila top cop said the team did not wake up the policemen from their sleep but only took pictures of them as pieces of evidence during its patrol operations from October 28 to November 2.

He said the pictures were forwarded to the police chiefs of Makati City, Valenzuela City and Caloocan City for their prompt disciplinary actions.

The eight policemen would be charged with a less serious offense, he stressed.

Sinas said that he diverted the earlier practice of relieving policemen caught sleeping on the job, because it would lessen their deployment in the field.

Sinas added that no policemen were caught playing golf during office hours as of Tuesday.

Earlier, Sinas said the team is made up of policemen from Central Visayas that was deployed around Metro Manila to monitor policemen involved in illegal activities.

“They are many and they came from Central Visayas, Red Team reports directly to me,” Sinas said.

He said the group was effective in Central Visayas, particularly in Cebu.

Sinas said the target of the Red Team are policemen playing golf during weekdays, as it was his first order upon assuming as Metro Manila top cop.

He, however, clarified that the team will only gather proof and will not arrest police officers,  who will be caught doing these illegal activities.