Police are not dog nannies nor bodyguards, top cop says

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Police officers serving as bodyguards for the children of high-ranking officers or acting as caregivers for pets?

This inappropriate use of police personnel is not something Brigadier General Jack Wanky, the police chief of Western Visayas, will stand for during his tenure.

Past incidents in the region suggested that active-ranking police officials had occasionally assigned police officers to provide security for their children.

These officers were observed escorting the children to and from school, an arrangement that was subtly noted until a previous Western Visayas police chief discontinued the practice in anticipation of the election period.

Wanky acknowledged that such occurrences have surfaced in other areas, including Manila, but he firmly opposes this misuse of police resources.

“I know doon sa ibang pinanggalingan ko sa Manila or NCR, we have encountered those reports,” he said.

He clarified that the Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG) is the only body authorized to grant long-term security details and that specific criteria must be met before a policeman is assigned as VIP security.

“And there are still requirements before a policeman could act as security to VIPs,” Wanky said.

He invites anyone aware of such practices in the region to report directly to him.

Wanky also committed to ensuring that police officers are not reduced to performing menial tasks, such as taking care of an official’s dogs.

With the election season approaching, he emphasized the need for impartiality, stressing that police officers should not be used by politicians for personal or partisan activities.

“Kasama na ‘yun sa dapat ‘di pinapagawa sa ating kapulisan. Anyway, malapit na ang election. And we would be strict on that. Ayaw natin na magamit ang ating nga pulis ng mga may kinikilingan na pulitiko,” he said.

To ensure the efficient use of law enforcement resources, Wanky plans to enforce a strict 85:15 deployment ratio.

This policy aims for 85 percent of the police force to engage in active duty while limiting administrative tasks to the remaining 15 percent, thereby maximizing the availability of officers for law enforcement and public safety operations.