COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Policemen impounded close to a hundred motorcycles with questionable registration papers in a continuing crackdown launched two weeks ago by the new city police director.
Senior Superintendent Raul Supiter, who assumed as Cotabato City’s police director only last month, said their confiscation of motorcycles is partly meant to curb the wanton operations here of motorcycle-riding guns-for-hire.
Almost half of the seized motorcycles had been released after owners had presented updated ownership records from the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
“But there are still many that were obviously stolen from owners because the ignition key contraptions of the impounded motorcycles were already destroyed by the riders intercepted in checkpoints,” Supiter said.
The city police earlier warned the public through local radio stations of its operations, intended to restore law and order in some of the 37 barangays here, where hired killers and drug traffickers have been operating with impunity for years now.
More than 300 people have been killed here in one attack after another in the past five years.
Supiter, a graduate of the Philippine National Police Academy, replaced Senior Superintendent Rolen Balquin as city director only last month.
Balquin is now occupying a directorate staff position at the Region 12 police office in Gen. Santos City.