Crime Prevention Week focuses on active community involvement

Interior and Local Government Secretary and National Police Commission (Napolcom) Chairman Angelo Reyes led yesterday the kick-off ceremonies for this year’s observance of the National Crime Prevention Week (NCPW).

The event was attended by more than a thousand high school students, barangay leaders, police officers, representatives from the different government agencies, the civic sector and various NGOs at the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City.

The NCPW, observed annually in the first week of September, carries for this year the theme "Barangay at Mamamayan Magkaisa, Hadlangan ang Krimen" with the slogan "Barangay Linisin, Krimen Alisin!"

"Crime prevention is everybody’s business and it should be an integral part of our daily life," Reyes said. "We in government believe that active community involvement and participation in crime prevention should be given prominence at least one whole week each year to underscore the indispensability of police-community cooperation in order to effectively fight criminality."

The highlight of the kick-off ceremony was the signing of a memorandum of understanding among DILG-Napolcom, the Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education on the establishment of student crime prevention committees (SCPCs) at all schools nationwide.

Activities included lectures on protecting one’s self while shopping and while walking at night, among others.

Various units of the Philippine National Police also demonstrated basic self-defense techniques.

Reyes also encouraged the proper utilization and Patrol 117, which provides immediate response and assistance in emergency cases, crimes and fire incidents.

He lamented that 98 percent of calls received by the hotline are prank calls, with some callers wanting to be phone pals with female operators.

For his part, Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. vowed to urge members of the City Council to come up with an ordinance criminalizing prank calls to the hotline.

Meanwhile, Napolcom Vice Chair Imelda Roces said the Napolcom, through the NCPW Technical Working Committee, has lined up various programs and activities that will enhance public appreciation of crime prevention as a way of life.

Roces said the organizing group conducted a series of crime prevention seminars in various cities in Metro Manila as early as July.

"These activities aim to elicit the active participation and involvement of the public, particularly the youth sector, in crime prevention and public safety," she said.

Other significant activities include the holding of Ugnayan ng Mamamayan at Pulisya sa Metro Manila at Camp Crame today, visits to selected churches and distribution of crime prevention information materials at LRT/MRT stations and malls with the help of PNP mascots. — With Cecille Suerte Felipe