Cops to conduct more raids on criminals’ lairs

The raid on a suspected criminal lair in Taguig last Sunday was just the first salvo against organized crime groups as more are expected to be conducted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) following the recent creation of the PNP-Special Anti-Bank Robbery Special Operations Task Force (PNP-ABR-SOTF) to neutralize bank robberies.

This was disclosed by Metro police Chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco as he lauded PNP chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. for the timely creation of the anti-bank robbery task force that will enable all PNP operating units to share data, intelligence, resources and manpower as a unified police force against organized crime.

He also ordered the district directors and station commanders in the metropolis to intensify the concerted efforts against organized crime groups and their known lairs in Metro Manila in  line with President Arroyo’s marching orders of a crackdown on criminal groups involved in the spate of bank heists in the metropolis.

Velasco’s directive came on the heels of the raid conducted by joint teams of the Metro Manila police, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and a contingent from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at a compound in Palar Village, Taguig last Sunday, where several high-powered firearms were seized and 12 people were rounded up.

 "We anticipate more of these criminal groups to fall as we sustain our efforts in neutralizing them through intensified intelligence build-up and immediate action," Velasco said.

He, however, cautioned district directors and station commanders against being careless in following legal procedures in the conduct of raids.

 "The proper legal procedures should be followed strictly or our efforts will be rendered futile. Our job is not only arrest these criminals but also to ensure that the charges we file against them stick in court," he said.

Meanwhile, Velasco said that the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is still in the process of sifting through evidence to pinpoint the possible involvement of the suspects, who were rounded up in the Taguig raid, in the recent string of robberies in Metro Manila.

Likewise, he has ordered the Southern Police District (SPD), headed by Chief Superintendent Jose Gutierrez, to continue the investigation on the owner of the property in Taguig where the raid was conducted to determine his participation in the activities of the suspects arrested during the police-military joint operation. The property in Palar Village is reportedly owned by Ex-Army Sgt. Rodolfo Romero who surrendered yesterday.