Bautista forms neighborhood anti-crime groups

MANILA, Philippines - Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista has ordered the formation of neighborhood crime watch groups that will assist the police in its peacekeeping efforts.

There is a need for such groups to curb crimes in the city, Bautista said yesterday, but stressed the importance of stringent requirements in selecting personnel who will form the crime watch groups.

He ordered the city’s Liga ng mga Barangay and the Barangay Operations Centers to oversee the preparation of the memorandum mandating the formation of the groups.

During a recent meeting with members of the city’s peace and order council, the mayor also pushed for the installation of more closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) in various barangays in the city to beef up the city’s drive to solve crimes.

In a related development, the city council – led by Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte – recently approved a resolution urging the mayor to install CCTV cameras in the city’s public schools.

The resolution, authored by sixth district Councilor Melencio Castelo, said the city government should greatly consider the installation of CCTVs in public school premises to help school authorities protect the students.

It said 75 percent of the city’s grade school and high school population are currently enrolled in various public schools in the locality.

“The installation of CCTV cameras in school premises will make up for the deficiency in security personnel in public schools in Quezon City, thereby improving crime prevention mechanism for the safety of students,” added the resolution.

Earlier, the Quezon City government approved an ordinance that will require business establishments in the city to install CCTVs.