Five policemen assigned at the Fuente Police Station will now find themselves patrolling city streets as a sanction for “maltreating” a mentally ill woman.
“I do not want to see cases that are mishandled. The abuses of our policemen are all recorded,” said Senior Supt. Royina Garma, director of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).
Starting on Friday, the five policemen holding the ranks of Police Officers 1 and 2 were already detailed to patrol downtown Cebu City especially the corner of a fastfood chain in the area that is heavily crowded day and night.
Although they reported in complete uniform, the five were disarmed before they were told to start their foot patrol duties.
Chief Insp. Maria Theresa Macatangay, chief of the Funte Police Station, said that the five will also undergo administrative investigation by the Investigation Detection Management Branch (IDMB).
The concerned policemen handcuffed a woman who went wild while inside their police station, Thursday night.
Macatangay said the woman was turned over to them for temporary custody after concerned citizens sought police assistance and reported that the woman was causing trouble while outside of the police station.
She said that the five responding policemen brought the woman to their police station for temporary custody.
However, the woman spit saliva on the face of one of the five cops, which prompted him to slap her on the face.
The woman started to become wild and run outside of the police station to seek help.
It so happened that Garma was on her way to the Fuente Police Station for a surprise inspection then, and saw the woman.