Rama warns police: Work on Cebu City’s increased crime rate

CEBU, Philippines - "Shape up or ship out."

This is Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama's warning to the Cebu City Police Office following the report that the crime rate in the city increased.

Rama said the warning goes out to all members of CCPO, particularly to station commanders.

"We're talking about an important ingredient in a city, which is peace and order," he said.

Rama said CCPO should do its job especially now that the city is gearing up for major events like the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation next year and the International Eucharistic Congress in 2016.

The mayor further urged the police officers to prove themselves as the city has been supporting CCPO, even increasing by their allowances.

"And I don't want to be removing the allowance too. That's not the solution. Who are you hurting if you remove the allowance? Families," the Mayor added.

Police officers should be guided by their mandate to serve and protect the people, said Rama.

Meanwhile, Police Regional Office-7 director, Chief Superintendent Danilo Constantino, wanted immediate actions to be taken against the increasing crimes in Cebu City.

Sr. Superintendent Rey Lyndon Lawas, chief of the Regional Investigation and Detection Management Division-7, said that Constantino told him that the CCPO, headed by Supt. Noli Romana, should act against the high crime rate.

Lawas clarified though that they are not singling out Cebu City. In fact, he said that Constantino had given him orders to "analyze and assess the crime situation in every city and police office."

But "being the center of the Central Visayas, we looked into the statistics from [Cebu] city and the province," Lawas explained.

He said that based on the report submitted by CCPO, they noticed a sudden increase in its crime volume by 22 percent during the first quarter of 2014 compared to the same period last year.

The biggest increase comes from crimes against property, said Lawas. This data covers theft, which dramatically increased to 70 percent as compared to the first quarter 2013.

Carnapping also increased by 52 percent this year alone with motorcycle theft as the most reported form of carnapping.

Record on robberies also increased by 44 percent and this includes robbery with intimidation and robbery with force.

Lawas stressed the importance of the crime statistics in addressing the crime situation in the city.  

He explained that specific types of crimes need specific attention and the crime statistics could be used as a tool in addressing the issue on criminality.

The same statistics could be used to focus where police officers should be deployed and on how to strengthen their operations.

He added that station commanders, provincial and city directors can now review the strategies and approaches to the problems.

As a whole, Lawas said that there is a growing concern on criminality and if it will not be addressed immediately, it might go to a scale which could no longer be prevented.

"That's the main purpose of our regional director that at the early stage pa lang daan mapangitaan na'g paagi nga ma-suppress or ma-minimize siya," Lawas said.

 He said a copy of the crime statistics will be furnished to local chief executives for them to take action.—  /ATO (FREEMAN)