Philippine police warned against selling guns
PHILIPPINES: The Philippines' poorly paid police have been warned
they will be sacked if they sell their new semi-automatic pistols, a
spokesman for the corruption-plagued force said Thursday.
The Glock pistols currently being distributed to tens of thousands of
officers cost about twice as much as an entry-level salary in the force,
and there are fears that the guns could end up on the black market.
"This is a very attractive gun, and many unscrupulous businessmen
would be interested in getting hold of them," national police spokesman
Senior Superintendent Reuben Sindac told AFP.
"This (warning) is just to preempt our policemen from even thinking
about it." Sindac said national police chief Alan Purisima issued the
warning this week, telling his officers they would be sacked and charged
with the criminal offence of misusing government money if they pawned
their weapons.
This came after President Benigno Aquino announced on Tuesday that
75,000 officers -- or half the cash-strapped police force-- would
finally be given pistols after going without officially issued weapons
for years. Many new police recruits previously borrowed to buy their own
guns and spent their first three years on the job paying these debts
back, Aquino said.
The lowliest Filipino policeman's monthly salary is about 21,000
pesos ($480), which is roughly half the legal market price for the new
Glocks, according to Sindac.
AFP |