The suggestion by United People’s (UP) Party faction-leader Rolando Brison to let police work as security when off-duty and earn an extra buck (see Tuesday paper) might appear sympathetic, but is not without risk. Of course, one cannot deny they are relatively underpaid considering their line of work and the cost of living, although the same can be said for many people especially in the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
While for law enforcement personnel putting their own lives on the line every day to protect society it seems extra painful, that is the current reality. Few will therefore oppose them earning a little more, but “moonlighting” for the money is probably ill-advised.
According to the Member of Parliament (MP) this is very common in both the Netherlands and the US. He mentioned Fort Lauderdale, where they have a policy allowing 12 hours of such work per week for the private sector under strict conditions with specific hourly rates per rank.
There is a reason officers are not allowed to have second jobs. This prevents conflicts of interest that can undermine their integrity and even lead to abuse of the authority and confidence they have been afforded.
Perhaps regulating the practice well, such as in the example given, addresses these issues adequately, but exceptional problematic situations could always occur. Say a policeman struggling to make ends meet and working for a business learns of illegal actions either from or condoned by the owners, forcing him to choose between his part-time employer whose pay helps him feed his family and the oath he took to uphold the law.
That’s no desirable position to be put in.
