Makati police launches security plan for shopping malls

MANILA, Philippines - The Makati City Police on Wednesday launched its program for a coordinated security plan for its shopping malls in the wake of last week’s brazen jewelry store robbery inside SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

Makati Police chief Sr. Supt. Manuel Lukban said the plan would involve the full coordination of the mall's security personnel and managers.

“We have launched a joint security scheme. This will involve the coordination between the city police and all the security managers of the malls and department stores,” said Lukban.

Lukban said that as uniformed police officers will not be allowed to go on patrols inside the malls and department stores, the security inside these establishments would be the jurisdiction of security guards.

“This will be a coordinated move. Hindi pa rin pwede ang uniformed police officers sa loob ng establishments,” said Lukban.

Lukban said he has ordered that no uniformed police officers be allowed inside these establishments so to prevent robbers disguised as police officers from entering.

In October 2009, members of the Alvin Flores robbery gang, who were disguised as police officers entered the Greenbelt 5 mall in Makati City and carted away from an exclusive watch store 67 pieces of Tudor watches worth some P6 million.

Lukban said the Greenbelt 5 robbery happened because there was no coordination between the police and the mall security guards. Lukban said the security guards thought the robbers were really policemen.

“With our arrangement now, the security guards inside the malls would immediately alert us if they see uniformed policemen inside,” Lukban said.

Lukban added that the recent “Martilyo Gang” robbery at the SM Megamall also happened because of poor coordination between security guards and the responding policemen and even among the security guards themselves.

“There was no coordination in Megamall. When the policemen arrived, the security guards could not even point as to which direction the robbers had fled,” he said.

Lukban said that under the new coordinated security plan, should a robbery happen inside one of the city’s malls, the Office of the Mayor will be immediately alerted and the commander of the nearest police station would take charge as initial ground commander.

All communication between the responding policemen and security guards will then be coordinated through the city’s central communication command better known as the “C3.”

The C3 could also tap into the closed-circuit television cameras inside and around the malls to better aid police and the security guards in pursuing or stopping criminals during a robbery, said Lukban.