To improve security frisking City Hall employees pushed

CEBU, Philippines - The private security personnel assigned in City Hall recommended some measures that need the city government’s approval to improve the security in the building following recent burglary incidents.

Care Best International Security Services, Inc. President Reynaldo Cuevas suggested that frisking and bag inspection be extended to employees, not only to visitors, especially after office hours.

The security agency suspects that the recent burglaries are inside jobs considering that the common finding in all of the three reported incidents this year is that there was no forcible entry.

In an incident report, Care Best reported their findings during the initial investigation they conducted last July 25, the day that the burglary was discovered by Shyne Alexis Embalsado of the Office of Councilor Alvin Dizon.

Their initial findings say that Embalzado was the last person to leave the office of Dizon with her boyfriend at around 5:30 p.m. last July 22, a Friday.

Based on their records, no one reported for work in the office during the weekend.

When Embalzado reported the incident to security guard Ivan Arong, the latter immediately conducted an ocular inspection and found out that the main door of the office and windows were locked while a right footprint was noticed near the water dispenser located under the window.

Arong also found out that several drawers were opened, and a laptop placed on the table was gone. No other items were stolen.

About 10 a.m. on July 25, elements of the Theft and Robbery Section arrived in City Hall to conduct their own investigation.

“Regrettably, no final disposition of the above incident can be arrived yet due to the limited information gathered in the course of the initial investigation and pending results of the findings of TRS,” Cuevas said in the incident report.

Care Best also reported that during that weekend after July 22, Engr. Emiliano Cruz, Building Administrator, who is allegedly a regular “stay-in” in City Hall did not stay only on the night of July 23.

Every day, including weekends, there are six security personnel deployed in the office of the mayor, executive entrance, vice mayor’s office, legislative entrance, basement and ramp access during 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Four security personnel are working on the graveyard shift from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.

One guard is assigned to the Mayor’s office and executive entrance, one guard in the vice mayor’s office and the basement, one in the legislative entrance and one in the ramp access.

Care Best recommended deploying more security guards for roving during the night.

City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete said that they will now require the guards on duty during the night to rove around the building. To ensure that they really conducted roving, the city is planning to install watchman’s clocks in different areas which will tell if the guards actually inspected the area.

They also suggested prohibiting staying-ins in city hall.

The security also advised all offices that if they shall leave valuable items such as laptops, jewelry, cash and the like, the items must be kept in a vault.

They also advised the installation of CCTV cameras in sensitive areas of City Hall.

Poblete said that the incident at Dizon’s office will be the last warning to Care Best otherwise the city will have to revoke the contract. –(FREEMAN)