MANILA—The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday activated a new unit replacing the Counter-Intelligence Task Force (CITF) tasked with gathering information and conducting operations against erring cops.

The National Police Commission (Napolcom) approved a resolution creating the Integrated Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG), while deactivating the 2-year-old CITF.

“This newly formed enforcement group is designed to conduct intelligence build-up and law enforcement operations against PNP personnel who are involved in any illegal activities such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, financial crimes, cybercrime, malversation, graft and corruption practices, security violations, and others,” PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde said during the inauguration of IMEG at the national police headquarters in Camp Crame.

Col. Romeo Caramat Jr., commander of CITF, will now serve as the functional authority of the group with 306 uniformed personnel, 55 police commissioned officers, and 251 police non-commissioned officers.

He will be the officer-in-charge of IMEG along with Lt. Col. Ariel Red as deputy group commander for administration.

At the same time, a 72-man company from the PNP Special Action Force will continue to provide tactical support to the newly established unit.

“When we say task force, it can be dissolved any time but with the activation of IMEG, it will become institutionalized and permanent. Meaning to say, it will be considered as one of the operational support units of the PNP," Caramat said.

"We are adding more teeth dito sa campaign natin sa internal cleansing, mas lalong palalakasin natin at paiigtingin ang kampanya laban sa rogue cops dito sa PNP."

(We are adding more teeth in our campaign for internal cleansing, we will strengthen and intensify our campaign against rouge cops here at PNP.)

The CITF was formed in February 2017 to monitor, investigate and arrest scalawags as part of PNP’s internal-cleansing program after numerous policemen were caught engaging in illegal activities.

As of May, 113 police personnel have been arrested and 9 killed during police operations for allegedly resisting arrest, as 250 police officers face charges.

Sixty-eight percent of the suspects committed robbery extortion followed by kidnapping (14 percent), and illegal cockfighting (10 percent). With a report from Maan Macapagal, ABS-CBN News