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ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/20 Nov) – The Police Regional Office in Western Mindanao (PRO-9) has dismissed three policemen from the service while six others were placed under investigation and administrative proceedings for drug use, a top police official disclosed.
Chief Supt. Napoleon Estilles, PRO-9 director, said the three dismissed policemen, as well as those found positive for drug use, are assigned in the Municipality of Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte.
Estilles said they were found positive for drug use after the special investigation team he formed conducted a surprise inspection and subjected all of the policemen in Siocon town to undergo random drug testing.
Nine of the 45 Siocon policemen were found positive for prohibited drug use, Estilles added.
Estilles formed the special investigation team after the Siocon police chief failed to promptly act on his earlier order to conduct an investigation and penalize those who will be found positive for drug use.
The order was issued following persistent reports that some of the policemen assigned in Siocon are engaged in the sale and use of prohibited drugs, Estilles disclosed.
As this developed, Estilles has relieved the Siocon police chief and all of his 45 personnel.
He ordered them to undergo a 30-day back-to-basic re-training course with the subject of character aptitude and development program.
The month-long re-training will be held at the Regional Support Training Unit (RSTU) at Camp Abendan in this city. (MindaNews)