School zone patrols net 55

A total of 55 street criminals were rounded up by police in the vicinity of 790 schools, universities and colleges in Metro Manila in the last five days, according to the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO).

Metro police chief Director Ricardo de Leon warned other criminals that the 1,433 policemen deployed in school zones under "Oplan Balik Paaralan 2004" will continue conducting anti-crime operations to protect students during the staggered opening of classes for school year 2004-05.

De Leon placed the 17,000-strong NCRPO on heightened alert for two weeks to prevent petty criminals from preying at students, especially those coming from the provinces.

The Metro police chief directed the five police district directors and 37 station commanders to maximize the deployment of uniformed personnel and police detectives and closely coordinate with school authorities to aptly address the security requirements of each school in the metropolis.

"We should catch these petty criminals before they can victimize hapless students," said De Leon. "The more criminals we catch, the safer is our streets for our citizens, especially the students who are reporting for their first day in school."

Reports culled by the NCRPO’s operation center showed that a total of 103 street crimes occurred in Metro Manila, especially in areas near schools, from June 4 to yesterday. Fifty-five suspects, who yielded 25 knives and other improvised weapons, were arrested.

De Leon said those arrested were involved in petty crimes like "tutok-kalawit," pickpocket, robbery-snatching, "salisi," mugging, and holdups.

He gave assurance that their intensified anti-crime drive is being waged in full cooperation with the local government units (LGUs) and barangay officials.

"We need all the help we can get in flushing out criminals and have them arrested," said De Leon, noting the key roles played by the LGUs and barangay officials in securing students during the opening of classes.

De Leon urged barangay officials to point out notorious criminals lurking in their neighborhood so police can arrest them before they can strike.

Meanwhile, the Metro police chief revealed that more foreign students are enrolled in the universities and colleges in Metro Manila this year.

"A large number of foreign students are availing of our country’s educational systems at present," said De Leon noting that the NCRPO is coordinating with different embassies in order to draw up pro-active and other measures to protect foreigners in the country.