Rising cases of theft, snatching, pickpockets noted in city
Incidents of theft, snatching and pickpockets in the city reached to 80 in just ten days. Of the said number, however, less than 10 percent reached the City Prosecutors Office or were filed in court.
With that, Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) Director Sr. Supt. Melvin Mongcal strongly encouraged the victims to file cases against the suspects.
Police noted that some victims lose interest in filing appropriate cases against the suspects after their stolen valuables were recovered by the police.
The filing fee of P100 also prevents the victims from having their complaint filed against the suspects. Mongcal said there are times that he shouldered the filing fee just to advance the complaint.
The reluctance of the victims to file the cases against the suspects enabled the latter to commit the same crime. Most of those apprehended suspects have already criminal records at the police station, said Mongcal.
Mongcal stressed, community participation is needed to address the recurring problem on petty crimes. It is high time for the community to participate in the campaign of the police by filing cases against the culprits, he added.
Mongcal said the victims should serve as the principal complainant in cases where police only responded to the crime. He said the police will only assist the victims in the filing of cases against the suspects. The arresting officers could not act as principal complainant.
The arresting officers can only act as primary complainant in cases where they caught the suspects committing the crime in flagrante delicto, Mongcal said.
The city's top cop, however, assured that the refusal of the victims to file cases will not discourage them from running after the suspects. He encouraged the citizenry to immediately call the police hotline 166 whenever they notice illegal activities in their area. “It is better to exercise preventive measures than being just reactionary,” said Mongcal.
Early this week several individuals reported to the police that they were victimized by snatchers riding on tricycle. One male victim said he was waiting for a jeepney ride along Ledesma Street when a tricycle with two persons on board suddenly appeared then one of its passengers snatched his cellular phone.
Two other female victims reported that their bags were snatched by tricycle-riding suspects along Mabini Street late at night.
Several cases of robbery hold-up inside passenger jeepneys were also noted on police blotters the previous months. It was observed that most incidents occur late at night.