While no time is right and ripe for pushing for the reimposition of the death penalty, now is the worst of times to enact the revival of capital punishment when scalawag cops are the felons and rogues in robes preside over the life or death of citizens.

In an unprecedented move, President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the crackdown of errant police elements and the dismantling of anti-narcotics groups, including Oplan “Tokhang”, in the wake of the police murder of Korean Jee Ick-Joo.

On the other hand, no less than Supreme Court Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno has revealed that between 2012 to 2016, 16 judges and one Sandiganbayan justice were dismissed for acts unbecoming of officers in the judiciary. She added that in the same period the Supreme Court suspended 14 judges, fined 101, reprimanded 21 and admonished 31.

The High Court also dismissed 116 court employees, admonished 42, forfeited benefits of 31, censured 3, fined 240, reprimanded 221, and suspended 227 since 2010.

Justice is not only delayed but also wantonly waylaid, due to the flawed, inept and corrupt police, prosecutorial and judicial systems.

We must put the death penalty bill in the backburner while we address and implement much delayed reforms in the police and justice systems.

EDCEL C. LAGMAN