Cops to review past 7-11 heists

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) will review past robberies at different branches of the 7-11 convenience store chain to get a lead on the identities of two men who killed a security guard during a heist at its Quezon Avenue branch in Barangay Paligsahan Sunday, officials said yesterday.

Security guard Reynaldo Guiatao was shot twice by the robbers during the robbery, which occured at past 5 a.m. A surveillance camera managed to get a shot of the robbers but both men wore caps that hid their faces, said Superintendent Marcelino Pedrozo Jr., commander of the QCPD Station 10.

Another 7-11 branch in Tondo was also robbed on Sunday. Pedrozo said he has coordinated with the Manila Police District.

Chief Inspector Rodel Marcelo, head of the QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, said they were reviewing all surveillance camera footage of past robberies in other 7-11 branches.

Marcelo said while the faces of those who staged the heist on Sunday could not be recognized, their build and mannerisms could be compared to those in past heists.

Meanwhile, National Capital Region Police Office chief Director Leonardo Espina is asking business establishments to arm themselves with alarm systems, like banks.

“Once they armed with an alarm system, the response of our nearest police station would be swift,” he said, noting that it took several minutes for employees of the robbed 7-11 stores to report the incident.

Espina said bank robberies dropped significantly after managers installed alarm systems hooked up to nearby police stations.– With Non Alquitran