A flock of cops

If Police General Nick Bartolome wants to get things done right, he should copy Santa Claus by making a list and checking it twice, to know who among his police chiefs in the National Capital Region are being naughty or nice.

I was all praises for the police in NCRPO when they issued an order that all officers must go on foot patrol, even those who hold desk jobs, because the Christmas season demands it.

Unfortunately a number of young police officers seem to have their own definition of being “on patrol”. There is no doubt that policemen are out in numbers but they flock together like pigeons on a wire or like “sitting ducks”.

If any terrorists wanted to cause a lot of damage and casualty, all they need to do is observe policemen in the many malls and shopping areas around Metro Manila to know how predictable and vulnerable they are.

In particular, the cops under the City of Mandaluyong particularly those “patrolling” malls and markets along EDSA are fond of sitting around inside air-conditioned places, texting or sending sms and often unaware or far from areas where there is a greater chance of a crime being committed.

I remember a few months back, when I saw a fight break out in front of a call center and security guards were unable to restrain one of the assailants who kept coming back to make more trouble. As I looked for a policeman, I saw several of them inside a coffee shop texting away, unaware of the fight in the middle of the street.

I knocked on the window and motioned that there was a fight outside, and judging from the young cops initial reaction, he was first startled and now annoyed by the interruption. Since then, I have taken mental notes of the fact that the cops now FLOCK at the lobby of the Shangri-la Mall, the EDSA Central Mall, and the entrance of the Robinson’s Pioneer Mall.

What I find ironic is that the MRT now has less visible cops, and their outposts or police-desks seems to have disappeared altogether. When you think about it, all the high-end malls make enough profits to put in the best security service and if I have it right, they actually charge their tenants for such services.

MRT, schools, hospitals and churches are high-risk areas for ORDINARY citizens everyday. These are the places where we should be seeing more police officers. Every time we see police officers and police vehicles sitting in front of banks, malls or homes of public officials, it gives people the wrong message.

Police officers should patrol business establishments as part of their coverage but not as the assignment of the day. Standing-by or window-shopping on patrol gives an unprofessional image of our men in uniform and should be corrected immediately.

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I don’t know if the one strike policy of the PNP applies to robberies but General Nic Bartolome should look into an incident that happened about 3 weeks ago under the area of QCPD station 9.

Yesterday while listening to a church service aired on radio station DZAS, I heard them pray for the recovery of $12,000 that had been taken from the MISSION MINISTRIES PHILIPPINES intended for construction materials and salaries of poor pastors working in slum areas in Metro Manila.

What may seem as an everyday frustrated murder and robbery is now without doubt a publicized incident after it was mentioned at an inter-faith church service attended by numerous foreigners and diplomats.

As reported; May-An Escopete, a young mother and accountant of Mission Ministries Philippines had intended to withdraw $12,000 for the Ministry on a Thursday. She was advised by Banco De Oro on Annonas st Proj. 4 to defer her withdrawal to the following day, as BDO did not have the sufficient dollars.

The following day Escopete withdrew the dollars and upon stepping out of the bank was approached by a motorcycle rider with a full-face helmet. The rider grabbed Escopete’s bag but failed to get it on first try.

The rider aimed at Escopete’s face, pulled the trigger but missed. He then took a second shot at Escopete’s leg, grabbed her bag, leaving Escopete screaming in agony with most of her leg above the knee shattered.

I don’t know if someone has stepped up to help but Escopete required a metal implant and will require rehab. The robbery has certainly put a dent as well as disappointment on the ministry and it’s people whose only desire was to help the less fortunate. Now they too have momentarily become one of the unfortunates!

I am told that a suspect or two was subsequently arrested but reports say that no paraffin tests were done to determine the real shooter; none of the money or the belongings was recovered, although the bank listed all of the serial numbers of the stolen dollars.

According to anecdotal reports, a number of similar incidents have happened in the Annonas area and people are no longer alarmed or surprised by them. Perhaps it is about time that the NCRPO boss put the fear of accountability on his men and women especially those sitting inside air-conditioned offices.

Under the notion of “Leadership by example” it seems apparent that, air-conditioned officers are breeding men who hang out in air-conditioned malls or spend the day driving around in tinted air-conditioned cars in teams of four.

If you have 4 police officers in a tiny police car, where will they put a suspect when they arrest one? In the trunk or the boot of the car?

The latest sighting I made of 4 cops in a tiny police car was last Thursday along C-5 near the Eastwood center. No one has obviously explained the concept of capacity and efficiency to the cops. If you go on patrol with 4 men instead of 2, you will use more gas and occupy more interior space.

Maybe St. Nic should take a break from being nice and start giving his police chiefs the rest of Christmas on foot patrol because things are no longer jolly!