The new leadership of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) will be implementing appropriate interventions and strategies to continuously reduce the crime incidents committed that affects the city’s law and order.
BCPO City Director Police Col. Ruel Tagel said that on anti-criminality, the local police force will strengthen the service of warrants of arrest of wanted persons coupled with the intensified campaign against loose firearms.
Further, the BCPO will also remain aggressive in the implementation of anti-illegal drug operations, particularly buy busts and the sustained effort to curb the proliferation of illegal gambling.
He also will work in the intensified anti-logging operations aside from target hardening and the inspection and engagement with security guards.
According to him, there will also be a sustained inspection of vital installations in the different parts of the city, particularly cell sites, water reservoirs, electric towers among others aside from the collaboration, engagement and inspection of barangay officials and tanods with the usual engagement with friendly forces.
Tagel said that there will be various simulation exercises on the conduct of camp or station defense plans supported by the beefing up of the beat and foot patrol apart from the usual Oplan Tambuli, Oplan anti-road obstruction.
Moreover, there will also be inspection of firearms and deadly weapons in drinking establishments, implementation of the curfew for minors and the implementation of routinary checkpoints, inter-driven checkpoints, Comelec checkpoints during the election period among others.
He pointed out that the BCPO will maximize the use of the 32 mobile patrols with a global positioning system and the use of 100 internet protocol radios with GPS during deployment.
Tagel also reported that crime incidents in the city from January to November 12 this year decreased by nine percent compared to the recorded peace and order indicators during the same period last year.
He said that for this year, there were some 602 crime incidents related to peace and order indicators that were recorded compared to the 663 incidents that were documented by the local police force during the same period last year.
However, the public safety indicator slightly increased by two incidents or two percent from 876 crimes last year compared to the 878 incidents recorded from January to November this year.
The BCPO official claimed that reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, physical injuries and damage to properties greatly contributed to the increase in the public safety indicator of the city’s crime rate during the current period.
He said that of the 3,019 incidents, 1,754 fall under the public safety indicator.
On the other hand, he pointed out that of the recorded crime incidents, 3001 have been reportedly cleared, 2,587 have been solved while 18 are still under investigation.
According to him, a case is solved when the suspect is identified and arrested, case filed in court while case cleared is when a suspect is identified but not arrested and case is filed in court.
He cited that a reason for a case classified under investigation is that the suspects are unidentified.
Tagel disclosed that theft remains to be the common crime committed in the city with 146 cases followed by physical injury with 50 cases; rape – 37 cases; robbery – 20 cases; carnapping of motorcycle– 11 cases; homicide – 5 cases and murder and carnapping of motor vehicle – 4 cases each. (By Baguio-PIO)
