DAVAO CITY – The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) will further strengthen security of the city not only in public places, but also in gated communities, hotels, and malls under the Oplan Iron Fortress.
DCPO Director Sr. Supt. Alexander Tagum said Oplan Iron Fortress (Fortification of Residences Towards a Restful Environment that is Secured and Safe) would be a collaborative effort with homeowners and mall management to allow police to patrol subdivisions and set up police assistance desk in malls following the spike of robbery and shoplifting incidence.
He said Fortress is still in line with Oplan Iron City or the Oplan Integrated Revitalized Operation of Neighborhood-Watch of the Mega City (Oplan Iron City), which was launched in April aimed at building “a safer Mega Davao.”
”This will be a holistic approach in securing the city,” Tagum added.
This time, police will also include the subdivisions and malls.
Tagum said it would also be good for subdivisions to conduct their own Ronda Patrol.
Tagum stressed that the police are not allowed to enter gated communities without proper coordination as these are private domains.
However, he said, it has been noted that houses and stores or malls have been the target of robbers and thieves because public places and streets are saturated with police and security forces.
“There are restrictions from homeowners and they (subdivisions) are not within our scope of security,” he said.
Police records showed that from September 18 to 24, 2017 there were eight robbery incidents and three shoplifting cases. Tagum said street robberies are declining.
Tagum said that while the street robberies are declining the theft incidents in residential areas are on the rise.
Aside from patrol, Tagum said the police also need to intensify public awareness on the importance of personal and home security.
Fortress, Tagum said, would be the top agenda during the Crime Prevention Summit on October 2 that will be attended by local officials, government agencies, barangay officials, officials of homeowners associations, and the police. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)
