PNP-12: No extra judicial killings in police anti-illegal drug campaign

KORONADAL CITY -- Since July 1, a total of 57 drug personalities who resisted arrest and opted to shoot it out with lawmen were killed during anti-illegal drug operations in Region 12, a police official said Thursday. There was no extra-judicial killings in the region, Supt. Romeo Galgo Jr, speaking for Police Regional Office (PRO-12) told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).Recently, all police stations chief across the region attended a seminar conducted by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR-12) and Prosecutors from the region conducted in Gen. Santos City on the issue of human rights. We asked the prosecutors and human rights workers if there were complaints of human rights violations during police anti-drug operation and they said there was none, Galgo added. Our law enforcers were properly trained and knowledgeable on the rights of all crime offenders, unless they violently resisted using weapons that could endanger the lives of our lawmen, Galgo said.During the Oplan Double Barrel, the regional police office has conducted 706 police operations which led to the arrest of 867 individuals and injury of two others.PRO-12 covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato and the cities of Cotabato, Kidapawan, Tacurong, Koronadal and Gen. Santos.Among those killed during police operations were three former police officers in Tacurong City and nine hardened drug pushers and users in Matalam, North Cotabato.As of September 14, the police seized more than 1,860 sachets of shabu during legitimate operations.In the implementation of Project TokHang, about 29,000 homes have been visited and informed of the govenrment's anti-drive campaign. TokHang” was coined from the combination of two wordsand TokTok which means police officers visit and knock on the door of suspected and identified drug user or pusher. Hangyo on the other hand refers to the police pleading or requesting drug personalities to cease and leave illegal drugs.Galgo said during the Project Tokhang, no coercion was conducted but the police's persuasive power and influence to advise, as fathers do, drug personalities to reform for his or her own sake.Across Region 12, also known as SOCCSKSARGEN region, more than 201,370 homes were visited by the police implementing house visitation and education program.In the region, the police also have been implementing Oplan TRAIN, an operation plan named after PRO-12 Regional Director Chief Supt. Cedrick Train. Oplan TRAIN stands for Teamwork Response And Intelligence Networking.This Oplan involves bomb threat awareness and drug symposium in schools, public places and even at homes.