Cops deployed to residential areas

As Filipinos observed All Saints’ Day yesterday, the Central Police District (CPD) deployed foot and mobile patrols in residential areas to spoil the "treat" for thieves and other unscrupulous elements.

In at least two CPD police stations, contingent forces were formed to take charge of ensuring the safety of properties as residents are usually out of town or in cemeteries.

According to CPD Station 10 head Superintendent Hawthorne Binag, records show that while the Halloween season yielded very little or no reports at all of any untoward occurrences in residential areas, police stations are usually flooded with complaints a day after the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, when residents go back to their houses.

"As per experience from previous years, what happens is that a crime is only discovered after the holiday, when the residents come back to their houses and are surprised to find out that they were already ransacked by thieves," he added.

The CPD Station 10 in Kamuning requested 20 more policemen to augment its personnel in patrolling the four communities under its jurisdiction — Barangays Laging Handa, Sacred Heart, Paligsahan and South Triangle.

Binag said the security monitoring in residential areas were implemented round-the-clock, with foot patrol policemen walking on every street at night and mobile patrol units making its rounds during the day.

Superintendent Benigno Durana, station commander of CPD Station 7 in Cubao, said a similar operation was undertaken in his jurisdiction, as well.

He requested 21 policemen from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) to beef up Station 7’s forces to safeguard residences and vital installations in his area, which included the Cubao business district.

"This is done in anticipation that robbers, or those so-called members of the akyat-bahay, would take advantage of the situation," he noted.

Durana said the operation was conducted in close coordination with the Barangay Security Development Officers (BSDO) of each community in Quezon City. It will be done until the Halloween season is over.

Until yesterday afternoon, the entire CPD was said to be generally peaceful. Certain bus terminals have closed earlier than usual as there were few passengers.

Binag and Durana asserted that the security assistance given to bus terminals was considered successful, with both the bus company management and passengers cooperating in the routine inspections