New Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Azurin vowed to sustain the war on illegal drugs which has killed over 6,000 drug suspects in law enforcement operations.

Azurin, who formally assumed command of the 227,000-strong PNP force on Tuesday, said the anti-drug campaign will be ''relentlessly continued.''

“I emphasize that our war on drugs shall be relentlessly continued regardless of who gets hurt and who gets caught,” he said in his speech during the assumption of office ceremony at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

The war on drugs started by former President Rodrigo Duterte has resulted in deaths of at least 6,252 drug suspects in alleged shootouts with law enforcers since July 2016.

Azurin is the 28th chief of the country's police force and the first under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr . DMS