QC cops vow hard strike vs carnap gangs

The chief of the Quezon City Police Department has mobilized the more than 2,000-strong police force to combat the rising cases of car theft in commercial and residential areas in the city.

Chief Superintendent Nicasio Radovan Jr., QCPD director, in his report to Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., said he has now directed all the police stations to conduct anti-carnapping measures in their respective areas of jurisdiction. He said although the car theft problem is a main concern of the Traffic Management Group the city police force will now take priority actions on car theft alarms.

"We are deploying our police force at the barangay level to combat carnapping," Radovan told the mayor during a staff meeting at the Bulwagang City Hall.

To make policemen effective in dealing with car thefts and other crimes they will be put under the control of the barangay captains who are directly responsible in maintaining peace and order in the barangay. The deployment of policemen in barangays will be piloted in certain areas and if proven effective it will be carried all over the city’s 142 barangays,

Radovan said an anti-carnapping taskforce has already identified at least three syndicates responsible for car thefts. He however did not give details in order not to jeopardize the ongoing police operations.

During the meeting the mayor expressed concern over the failure of the TMG to go after car thieves particularly in the Metro Manila area. According to police report 80 to 90 percent of thefts occurred in residential areas where car owners parked their cars overnight.

Radovan also said a new modus operandi of car theft uses sirens in going after their victims and as soon as the unsuspecting driver stop the armed men will forcibly take away the vehicle.

The police chief said most of carnapped vehicles are brought to Visayas and Mindanao while others are dismantled and sold in chop-chop outlets.

Radovan said the lifting of a regulation requiring the clearance of vehicles boarding ferry boats for the Visayas and Mindanao has made the escape of carnappers hassle free.