Nicolas Torre says lethal force will only be used as `last resort’

Philippine National Police chief, Gen. Nicolas Torre III. File photo. Lyn Rillon

MANILA, Philippines — Lethal force will only be used as a last resort when arresting suspects, according to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III.

Torre made the remark in a speech during his courtesy visit to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) main office in Quezon City on Monday.

“Don’t worry about our plan to increase arrests. I really don’t believe that it will be abused. A policeman will have to be so desperate if he will arrest someone without basis. And I always emphasize that lethal force will only be used as a last resort,” the PNP chief said in Filipino.

READ: PNP-work-must-be-gauged-by-quality-of-probes-not-number-of-arrests-chr

Torre likewise addressed CHR’s worries over his directive, encouraging the “paramihan ng huli” (increase in arrests). It mandated officers to make as many “legal” arrests as possible to combat the proliferation of illegal drugs.

The human rights agency responded to his directive last week, saying that using the number of arrests as a performance metric “may unintentionally pressure officers to prioritize quantity over quality.”

“Historically, such frameworks have risked incentivizing shortcuts, abusive or arbitrary practices which undermine human rights and erode public trust in law enforcement,” the commission said in a statement.

“The CHR maintains that effective policing is best measured not by the volume of arrests, but by the quality of investigations, respect for due process, and the consistent upholding of legal and ethical standards,” it added.

Aside from clarifying his statement, Torre highlighted the role of the CHR in helping police personnel and officers ensure that everything they do is within the ambit of the law.

The PNP chief also announced a new requirement for aspiring commanders, which is the submission of an affidavit of arrest—a “receipt” indicating an officer’s experience conducting a warrantless arrest./mr/abc