The Internal Affairs Service of the Philippine National Police (PNP-IAS) has attained 100 percent case resolution on all the administrative charges leveled against policemen for the year 2022, the first time it happened since the zero backlog of cases policy was implemented in 2016.

PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, Jr. said a total of 1,581 administrative cases have been filed before the IAS for 2022 and all of them were resolved as of Dec. 29 last year.

"This is a successful fulfillment of its zero backlog policy as reflected in the IAS' 100 percent Administrative Case Resolution Efficiency (ACRE) for Calendar Year 2022," said Azurin.

The ACRE was first implemented in 2016 under Inspector General Alfegar Triambulo, who is still the present IAS head.

Based on the PNP data, the ACRE record were: 62 percent in 2016, 89 percent in 2017, 85 percent in 2018, 99.94 percent in 2019, 99.75 percent in 2020, and 99.65 percent in 2021.

“Through the years the PNP Internal Affairs Service as the integral disciplinary vanguard of the organization has immensely contributed to the internal growth and organizational reform that shields the PNP from erring cops and bust the culture of wrongdoings among policemen by effectively administering the investigation process of police misconduct and imposing appropriate disciplinary mechanisms," said Azurin.

"As an institution, IAS conducted independent and impartial investigations concerning police force. It strives to remain true to its mandate of Championing Police Service Integrity," he added.

Azurin has been pushing to add more teeth on IAS by making it an independent institution.

Under the current policy, all the decisions and recommendations of IAS against errant cops have to be approved by the Police Regional Director or the Office of the Chief PNP.

There is a proposal for the IAS to be removed from the organizational structure of the PNP and transfer it directly under the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to make it independent.