Almost 700,000 drug users and peddlers have turned themselves in, dela Rosa added, claiming that the overall crime rate has improved.
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Experts said the decrease in serious crime could be a genuine drop caused by an increased police presence on the streets; or it could be that fewer instances of crimes such as theft are being reported because police are so preoccupied with anti-drug operations.
“We must give him leeway”, he said. On Tuesday, Dela Rosa said he had suspended five officers connected with that case as it’s investigated.
He said that the stats would be legitimate. An additional 1,067 killings occurred under unclear circumstances, he said; observers believe some were carried out by vigilantes.
Responding to questioning by Sen. She also said that inmates from the national penitentiary are being forced to lie about her.
“I would never want to hurt anybody or (their) family”, he said. “Take us out of your organization”.
“My congratulations. I give my snappy salute and we will work together”.
Police said the lack of manpower has made it hard for the agency to probe all cases. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has condemned this, and the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime referred to as an “apparent endorsement of extrajudicial killings”. The figure also means that more than 30 persons were killed every single day since.
War on drugs out of control?
President Duterte had previously promised to launch a “bloody war” on drugs.
In response to the inquiry, Duterte accused de Lima of personal connections to the drug trade.
She claims the war is a “very important issue of public interest”, saying that even the global community has taken notice of “this phenomenon of summary executions”.
However, dela Rosa said there was no declared policy to kill drug users and pushers.
Dela Rosa also faced grilling from Sen. Many of those have been attributed to vigilantes. He insisted that the police were not involved in the deaths. U.S. officials declined comment on Duterte’s United Nations remarks.
Citing latest records of the PNP, De la Rosa said nine police operatives and three soldiers have already been killed and an over-all 25 personnel wounded while in the performance of anti-drug operations.
The police does not and will not condone vigilante killings, he said asserting that these have been perpetrated by crime syndicates.
“So help me here because I am trying to create the environment… to do business, especially in Mindanao”, he said.
“The PNP remains loyal to our mandate”.
“We strongly urge the Philippines to ensure its law enforcement efforts comply with its human rights obligations”, Toner added.
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The extrajudicial killings have prompted the United Nations to express concern over human rights abuses.
