Dismissal of Urdaneta cops seen
MISSING PNP GUNS SCANDAL
THE former chief of police of the Urdaneta City Police Station and 14 other personnel implicated over the disappearance 41 hands guns from the armory of the Urdaneta Police Station face immediate dismissal and trial for criminal cases that may be filed against them.
According to P/Supt. Jackie Candelario, deputy police provincial director who was recently designated officer-in-charge of the Urdaneta Police Station in concurrent capacity, heads will definitely roll when the investigation into the missing guns, the biggest scandal that rocked the police in Pangasinan, is completed.
“They can be dismissed immediately because, they will face not only criminal cases but also administrative cases,” Candelario said.
Candelario said, included to be dismissed from the service is the chief of police at the time when these firearms were gone missing from the armory of the Urdaneta police due to command responsibility.
The 15 personnel under investigation include the chief of police and two duty officers under whose watch the 42 guns were spirited out and went unreported until the disappearances were discovered during a routine inventory.
The chief of police of Urdaneta, P/Supt. Marcellano Desamito Jr., and the two duty officers were relieved from their posts and assigned to the Police Regional Office to give way to the investigation of the case.
The other police suspects are under restricted custody at the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office.
The investigation is being undertaken by task group created by P/Chief Supt. Gregorio Pimentel, regional director, and headed by the Regional Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
Initial investigation showed the 41 guns were either sold or pawned to businessmen and barangay officials of Urdaneta City.
Twenty-three of the firearms were already accounted for and 19 were confirmed by the crime laboratory to be properties of the Philippine National Police noting the defaced serial numbers and PNP markings. (Leonardo Micua)
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