Anti-crime hotline set up in Taguig

Residents of Taguig City will only have to dial one phone number when in need of assistance.

Mayor Freddie Tinga has ordered the creation of a 24-hour hotline (640-2222) to help police in their anti-criminality campaign and to quickly respond to emergencies.

Tinga said his constituents can use the hotline to report ongoing crimes, fire incidents and other emergencies as well as other concerns, including complaints on traffic and uncollected garbage.

"Let us be vigilant in waging an all-out war against criminality and the problem on illegal drugs," Tinga said.

Councilor Henry Duenas Jr., chairman of the city council’s peace and order committee, said their target for the project is to enable authorities to respond to any emergency in only two to five minutes after the incident is reported to the hotline center.

The councilor said the hotline will complement the city’s anti-crime and illegal drugs mobile patrol support group, which the council created last year to help in police operations.

The group now has 10 operational mobile vehicles, which are also being used by the city police in patrolling all 18 barangays on a 24-hour basis.

City Hall officials said emergency reports made to the hotline would be relayed first to the patrol units for immediate response.

Local police officials welcomed the project, saying it would be a big boost to their intensified campaign against street crimes.

Police Officer 3 Alain Sigwa, of the Station Investigation Division, admitted that the lack of cooperation from residents in an area where a crime is committed has been preventing them from solving cases quickly.

"We are hoping that this project would really entice people to help us in our police operations. With this hotline, the public can expect faster response from us," he said. – Edu Punay