ILOILO CITY — The city government here has earmarked PHP22 million to acquire patrol cars and other equipment to boost the capability of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO).
During his regular press conference, Mayor Jose Espinosa III said on Monday that he wanted policemen to sustain their visibility as there has been reported spate of hold-up incidents victimizing workers of business process outsourcing companies (BPOs).
However, he was informed that the policemen lack patrol cars and other equipment. In response, he said that the acquisition of 11 to 20 patrol cars is now on the pipeline. Policemen will also be provided with radio equipment.
In addition to police visibility, Espinosa said that he wanted the local police to set up checkpoints.
He also noted that crime incidents lessened when he ordered that bars and establishments be closed at 2 a.m.
However, there were reports of hold-up incidents perpetrated by riding-in-tandem suspects. If this will not stop, there is a tendency that others will also follow, he said.
“Motorcycle cops should be deployed, we don’t want to be complacent,” he said.
He added that the suspects are not really a big and organized group but he wanted them stopped as soon as possible.
Espinosa also added that he also wanted barangays (villages) to train their tanods and coordinate with the local police so perpetrators could be easily identified and eventually apprehended. (Perla Lena/PNA)
