CCTV recommended in mass transport

In the wake of explosions in Metro Manila recently, Deputy Director General Avelino Razon Jr., PNP deputy chief for operations (DCO), recommended the use of close circuit television (CCTV).

Razon said the installation of CCTVs is the most effective way to track down perpetrators of explosions in the metropolis.

He said it has been proven effective in many countries, including London and Singapore.

"I will recommend to PNP chief Director General Arturo Lomibao that we adopt, in coordination with local government units, the use of CCTV system. I heard Makati and Manila have been planning to adopt this," said Razon.

CCTVs are used in banks so every time there is a bank robbery, there is an opportunity for the police to see the perpetrators on camera.

Aside from banks, Razon said CCTVs are also used in buildings and commercial centers to enhance police effectivity in the fight against crime.

"This could be a big deterrent because people know they could be identified on television," he explained.

Razon cited the case of London, which tracks movements of people on CCTV, even in the hotel lobby, restaurants, or when boarding a bus.

"This is a result of my trip to London two weeks ago. One of the briefings they gave me was the resolution of the London underground railway system bombing in July 2005," said Razon.

In a very short time, the London Metropolitan police was able to solve that bombing incident through the use of CCTV.

"They (London authorities) used CCTV to identify four suspects who were seen on CCTV entering the station with backpacks and leaving without them," said Razon.

He noted that the installation of CCTV will have no cost to the PNP.

"It will be made in coordination with the local government units," he said.

At around 4:40 a.m. on Tuesday, a SWAT van of the Regional Special Action Unit of the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) exploded while parked at the corner of the main road of the RSAU resort in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.

"It incurred damage at the rear right side and deflated the rear right tire. The crater created was six feet deep. The gasoline cover was forcibly opened and the window at the back right portion was forcibly opened," the report of Southern Police District director Chief Superintendent Wilfredo Garcia stated.

The blast inside the camp of the NCRPO was the fourth in Metro Manila since June 6, when unidentified men hurled a pillbox in front of the Great Pacific Life Insurance (Grepalife) in Makati City.