2 mall heist suspects identified

MANILA, Philippines - Two of at least five men who robbed a jewelry store at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City Saturday have been identified, the Eastern Police District (EPD) said yesterday.

EPD director Chief Superintendent Miguel Laurel said a witness identified the suspects from the EPD’s file of photos of suspected criminals.

Laurel, in a case conference with Megamall officials yesterday, also pointed out several security lapses that allowed the suspects to stage the heist and escape.

In a statement, SM spokesperson Ian Mathay said SM management is cooperating with police “to ensure that the perpetrators of the robbery are arrested at the soonest possible time.”

He appealed for public cooperation “as we continue to enforce our strict security standard operating procedures (SOPs),” which include scanning through handheld metal detectors and physical inspection.

Mathay assured the public, as well as SM employees and tenants, that “management invests on security prevention assets and policies including training, security devices and security personnel.”

Manhunt

Laurel told reporters that police teams “are hot on (the suspects’) trail. I hope you’ll understand why we keep their identities a secret as of this time.” He made the announcement as he released the computer-generated images of the two suspects.

The EPD director urged the public to report to the nearest police station the presence of the suspects in their neighborhood.

He said the two suspects were among a group who staged a robbery at a jewelry shop in Binondo, Manila several years ago.

The suspects were charged with robbery with homicide, a non-bailable crime, and EPD investigators are puzzled why they are out of jail, Laurel said.

Lapses

According to information gathered from Megamall’s surveillance cameras, at least five robbers entered the mall by using the EDSA gate near the supermarket.

Surveillance camera footage showed one of the suspects buying a pipe wrench at one of the stores. The wrench was used to destroy the glass cases of the jewelry store at the mall’s upper ground floor.

At the height of the robbery, one of the suspects took out a handgun hidden between his legs and fired twice in the air, sending shoppers running for safety.

The suspects left through the gate at the parking lot as evidence by a trail of bloodstains on the floor, Laurel said.

He could not ascertain as yet how many pieces of jewelry were taken from the store as officials claimed they are still conducting an inventory.

Security agencies summoned

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police’s Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (SOSIA) has summoned four security agencies hired to guard SM Megamall.

SOSIA head Chief Superintendent Tomas Rentoy identified the agencies as Lambdan, Link Security, Blue Dragon and Star Force.

He said there were three glaring lapses by security personnel assigned at the mall’s entrances.

“Why were the perpetrators able to enter the establishment with guns? It should be SOP to frisk or use metal detectors for firearms,” Rentoy said.

He also noted that the security guards in the area were unarmed, and the robbers were able to escape undetected.

Rentoy said the security agencies’ officials have been notified of the summons. “We’re just waiting for the official report,” he said.

He added that the SOSIA issued clear, strict guidelines for security guards in malls during a recent summit. “The manual was supposed to be their Bible and we consolidated issuances, SOPs. We also came up with best practices of mall security,” Rentoy said.

The SOSIA chief said another possible angle was that the robbery was an inside job. “We are wondering how the guns were smuggled into the mall and why the security guards did not have guns. Also, how did the robbers get out?” he said.

Rentoy said if the agencies’ security guards were found liable for the lapses, the agencies could be fined or suspended.

Manned monitors

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Francis Tolentino said closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera systems should also be monitored by mall security personnel to prevent crimes.

He said in a radio interview that local government units should pass ordinances requiring mall to have people manning the monitors of their CCTV systems at all times while the mall is open.

Tolentino also said he will propose to mall owners that they adopt the concept of “mall zoning,” in which similar or related establishments would be grouped together for better security. – With Mike Frialde