“S.I. sa Barangay” launched: More cops to patrol barangays - PRO-7 chief

CEBU, Philippines - More policemen are expected to be seen patrolling in the areas around Central Visayas as their usual Saturday inspections being held at their respective headquarters will now be done in different barangays.

Chief Superintendent Manuel Gaerlan, director of the Police Regional Office-7, said this would now be their move as they noticed that some of their activities are only administrative in nature, such as having ground formations at their headquarters.

“Kasi ‘yung ibang personnel, pupunta sa headquarters para mag-formation for inspections. So nababawasan ‘yung pulis sa karsada. Kaya instead sa headquarters, dadalhin namin siya sa bar angay,” said Gaerlan.

With this, the PRO-7 launched their new project called “S.I. sa Barangay” in which policemen assigned in headquarters will randomly be doing their inspections in different barangays and will be deployed for roving after the inspection.

Gaerlan said S.I. could mean Saturday Inspection, Surveillance Intelligence and Social Investigation or Interaction. However, he further said inspections will not be done every Saturday but already in random.

After the inspection, policemen can meet with the barangay officials wherein they could discuss the things that are needed to be done for that certain barangay, said Gaerlan.

After that, the policemen will already be deployed to patrol around the areas in that certain barangay. With this, those assigned at the police station in that barangay will be augmented with policemen coming from different headquarters.

Gaerlan said this project also aims for the police to have a closer relationship with the community which they consider “their first line of defense.”

The “S.I. sa Barangay” was first launched in Barangay Mabolo last Tuesday.

“Barangay Mabolo kasi is one of the most crime-prone areas. Isa sa pinakamalaki dito sa Cebu City at sila rin ‘yung may kakulangan sa personnel,” the PRO-7 director said.

He said other police units from other provinces in the region are expected to do the same. (FREEMAN)