Trinidad warns cops of dismissal

MANILA, Philippines – Pasay City Mayor Wenceslao Trinidad yesterday warned local policemen of dismissal from service after receiving reports that the incidence of petty crimes in Pasay Rotonda along Edsa had increased due to lack of police personnel in the area.

Trinidad ordered Pasay City police chief Senior Superintendent Raul Petrasanta to increase police visibility in Rotonda and to monitor the precinct commanders in the area. “We are concerned first and foremost with the safety of the residents and even those simply visiting the city. The police should just do their job in protecting the citizenry,” Trinidad said.

For his part, Petrasanta said they are fielding additional inspectors from the headquarters to check whether the policemen are in their assigned areas. He said they already increased police visibility in Rotonda by stationing a mobile car in front of the Giselle Bus Liner and the 7/11 convenience store, and another one in front of Metro Point mall. These mobile cars will reportedly be operating on a 24-hour basis and the public can ask for assistance from the mobile police officers.

Petrasanta said four uniformed policemen will be roaming the area to minimize robbery and snatching incidence. Based on police monitoring, he said robbery usually occurs between 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. and between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m in the Rotonda area. He said intelligence policemen or plainclothes officers will likewise be fielded in the area as well as operatives of motorized anti-street crime.

“Our intelligence operatives are tasked to get details of untoward incidents as well as identify the perpetrators that will eventually lead to their arrest,” he said.

Frequent but unannounced checkpoints in the Rotonda area will also be conducted. Petrasanta said police officers from the headquarters, even those with desk jobs, will be assigned to “collateral duties,” meaning they will have to walk the street once a week, in an effort to increase police visibility in Pasay.