PCAC: City needs more policemen and vehicles

CEBU, Philippines - The Police Coordinating and Advisory Council (PCAC) is pushing for additional motorcycles, vehicles and personnel for the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) to further improve the peace and order situation within Cebu City.

PCAC Presiding Officer Eugene Elizalde said they are hoping that the city can include in its next budget the funds for the purchase of 44 additional motorcycles, 12 or more police vehicles and the allowance of 100 auxillary police.

“Our focus now is to improve the mobility and police force of the CCPO. We hope all of these can become part of the budget,” Elizalde said.

He said they have been requesting that it be included since last year, but it is often scrapped in the end.

Elizalde said the 44 motorcycles that the city government donated to the City Police last year proved effective in the police’s response to alarms.

CCPO Director Ramon Malvin Buenafe said that after the city donated the 44 motorcycles, the number of crimes by motorcycle-riding suspects has declined.

He said the Motorcycle Response Unit (MRU) is doing a good job in arresting criminals and preventing more crimes.

Considering the fast growth of the city in terms of population, development and economic activity, Buenafe said the prevalence of crime has decreased by about 40 percent in the last two years. He said the city remains number one in terms of crime volume, but generally speaking the occurrence rate of crime is continuously decreasing.

Elizalde said that more crimes can be prevented if the city government can help more by providing the additional motorcycles for the expansion of the MRU.

“The 44 motorcycles will only cost about P2.5 million. Gamay ra man na nga amount but the effect will be a big blow to the crime world,” Elizalde said.

The 100 auxillary police they are planning to hire will receive allowance from the city government.

Elizalde said they will be additional warm bodies that can add to police visibility.

These auxillary police however will not be armed, Buenafe said. They will be trained on police functions that are not too risky since they will not be allowed to carry firearms. He said they can be fielded, among others, to secure events since Cebu is very popular for both local, national and internal events as venue.   - THE FREEMAN