Superintendent Sotero Ramos Jr., Marikina City police chief, said elements of the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) would furnish the banks with a copy of City Ordinance No. 76-2004 requiring them to install closed-circuit TV cameras for easy identification of robbery suspects.
BPLO chief Apolonio Santos warned that he would impose a fine of P5,000 to banks that fail to comply with the ordinance after 10 days.
Ramos said there are 64 banks in Marikina City and only 27 of them have not complied with the said ordinance since 2004.
"It’s now time for them to install the CCTV cameras not only to prevent robberies but also for easy identification of the suspects," he said.
Ramos and Santos met with 45 bank managers and 30 security officers last Friday to thresh out problems regarding security of their establishments.
Among those who attended the dialogue were Marikina City Rep. Del de Guzman, Vice Mayor Marion Andres, Daisy Islaban of the local Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Ricardo Mendoza of the Office of the Public Safety Service (OPSS), Narciso de la Cruz, head of the City’s Bantay Bayan, Mandaluyong City police chief Superintendent Ericson Velasquez, and ranking police officials of the Eastern Police District (EPD).
Ramos pointed out that there have been at least five bank robberies in Marikina City since 2005, including the P3.5-million robbery at the Metrobank branch in Barangay Sta. Elena which was solved by the police.
However, there are four incidents wherein depositors were tricked into handing over money to robbers pretending to be bank employees, said Ramos. "The four salisi incidents could have been solved had the banks concerned have security cameras in their establishments," he stressed.
Ramos cited as an example the early solution to the Internet Café robbery with the aid of a security camera. "We played the segment where the robbers, waving.45 caliber pistols, were caught in the act of robbing their victims inside the establishments and the subsequent arrests of the suspects and the bank and security officials broke into a long applause."
The officials of the 27 banks claimed that they were not furnished a copy of Ordinance 76. They promised to install security cameras.
Santos pointed out that aside from the cash penalty, he would not also renew the permit to operate of banks that fail to comply with the ordinance.
"We would be enforcing the ordinance to the letter before its too late," Santos was quoted by Ramos as saying.
While the banks are arming themselves against robbers, Ramos emphasized that elements of the local police foot patrol and the Motorcycle Anti-Street Crimes Operatives or motorcycle police officers would religiously conduct patrols in the vicinity of the establishments during banking hours.
From now on, the local police and the bank and security officials agreed to meet regularly to update themselves of the situation in the continuous fight against bank robbers.
Marikina City Mayor Maria Lourdes Fernando lauded Ramos initiative in staging a dialogue with bank and security officials, emphasizing that the banking institution is the fast growing business sector in the city.