Manila: In a bid to rid the national police force of corrupt officers, Philippine Interior Secretary Mar Roxas has announced that all police officers will be required to undergo a “lifestyle check”.

“All policemen would be subject to an impartial probe into their lifestyles,” Roxas said at a press briefing on Wednesday, while emphasising that no one will be spared from the audit.

“I would not issue this Memorandum Circular if I would not be included in the lifestyle check,” Roxas said.

The interior secretary issued the order at a time when the Philippines is smarting from successive reports alleging corruption within the 125,000-strong national police force.

According to Roxas, all government officials and employees are mandated under the law to live simple lives. If this is violated, then a punishment is in order, he said.

He said the probe will look into income tax returns of the police officers, with the Bureau of Internal Revenue and,

“If their wealth is questionable, then it may be a basis for the conduct of a lifestyle check.”

Roxas added the probe will start with the highest-ranking police officials.

The investigation would be impartial and objective, he insisted. “It should not only target certain officials, so it will be orderly,” he said.

Roxas said that while he does not see anything wrong with police officers getting rich, questions would arise in the eyes of the public if they saw officers obviously living beyond their means.

A typical police official earns as much as any other functionary in government.

“If people see police officers enjoying luxuries that his salary cannot justify, that is when questions come to neighbours’ minds,” he said.

The impending lifestyle checks on officials follow reports on the discovery that certain police officers, who have been implicated in the past in incidents of bilking suspects, or what is known locally as “hulidap”, have accumulated considerable wealth.

The lifestyle check had been prompted by a recent incident when an officer of the law was implicated in a bribery incident. Senior Inspector Oliver Villanueva and PO2 Ebonin Decatoria, who had recently been tied to a broad daylight robbery at the Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue early this month, had declared net worth of several millions.

Villanueva allegedly led a hulidap operation in Mandaluyong City wherein they accosted a heavy equipment operator in the middle of the highway in EDSA, detained him for questioning and took P2 million (Dh166,041) cash from the victims.

The hulidap operation was caught on video by an alert citizen. The clip was uploaded on social networking sites and went viral prompting authorities to take action and apprehend Villanueva and his ten accomplices — all police officers.

Reports said Villanueva had accumulated a net worth amounting to P6.5 million (Dh539,635) and assets of P8 million (Dh664,167) in 2013.

Decatoria, on the other hand had declared a net worth of P4.9 million (Dh406,802) in 2013 and assets of P6.6 million (Dh547,937) in the same year.

Roxas said activities of corrupt police officers, whom he believes comprise only a small proportion of the national police force, undermine the integrity of the entire institution including those who are faithful to their duty.