EDITORIAL - START FROM THE TOP

We've heard this one before. Law enforcers, some of them belonging to
anti-narcotics units, are themselves involved in the illegal drug trade.
The latest report is that 99 cops are being watched and may soon face
charges for involvement in drug trafficking. In addition, the cops will be
subjected to drug testing and lifestyle checks, according to a police task
force on illegal drugs. Of the 99 cops, 40 are reportedly coddling drug
traffickers, 19 are drug dealers themselves, 24 are classified as drug
pushers, one is a financier and the rest are drug abusers.

It has been pointed out often enough that the drug problem is widespread
and seemingly unstoppable because of the involvement of law enforcers
themselves. The degree of involvement ranges from the petty, such as the
pilferage of confiscated drugs for personal use, to big-time operations
involving drug smuggling or the manufacture of shabu.

There has been a continuing purge of such bad eggs from the national
police. Most of those purged, how-ever, have been low-ranking cops involved
in minor drug offenses. Ranking officers, who serve as protectors of major
drug dealers, rarely get caught. The impression given is that any campaign
against cops involved in drug dealing is merely cosmetic. This is suspected
to be among the key reasons why big-time drug dealers rarely get caught
when their drug manufacturing laboratories or warehouses are raided. And
the involvement of ranking officers guarantees the continuing involvement
of low-ranking cops in minor drug-related offenses.

Many of these ranking officers are known to anti-narcotics agents. Perhaps
some of these officers are among the 40 on the watch list of the special
task force. If not, they should be quickly included, and be among the first
to be subjected to lifestyle checks in the Philippine National Police.
These officers may have mastered the art of covering their tracks in the
anti-narcotics campaign, but they can still be pinned down on corruption
char-ges if they are found to be living way beyond their means. If the
government is serious about this campaign against cops involved in drug
trafficking, the message will be stronger if the purge starts from the top.