Bacolod bizmen urge counter-measures vs. rampant robbery cases
BACOLOD CITY — Bacolod Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BFCCCI) spokesman Ben Ortega recently asked the Bacolod City Police Office thru its Officer in Charge Senior Supt. Celestino Guarra to adopt an effective counter measures to prevent the proliferation of robbery cases in the city.
During the Consultative Forum conducted last Friday by City Councilor Al Victor Espino, Ortega raised his frustration on the inability of some policemen to conduct in-depth investigation over the robbery cases confronted by some of its members.
“After the case is recorded in a blotter, police somehow failed to conduct a thorough investigation,” Ortega lamented. He also observed that policemen sometimes failed to response during nighttime, since instead of doing their job, they also sleep along with the civilians which is not appropriate.
Guarra insists that when he assumed his function as Officer-in-Charge in Bacolod City, he modified the schedule which could maximize their time and effort in protecting the civilians. “Previously it was one day duty and two days off but when I assumed my duty here in Bacolod City, I changed it to two days duty and one day off,” Guarra said.
On the other hand, Espino adheres to the proposal of Sr. Supt. Guarra that each and every establishment should put up a “panic lights” that could be activated in the event that the actual robbery takes place. Guarra said that since the problem of his police personnel is the response time after the crime of robbery is committed, it is incumbent upon the establishment to put up this “flashing light” so that the response must be immediate and urgent because the civilian could do their outright reporting after the incident.
Meanwhile, Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) Vice President Frank Carbon suggested that if possible, the Bacolod City government will help put up a “police outpost” in a place considered as highly critical or crime-prone. He said that MBCCI had already decided that they are willing to negotiate with some shipping companies in Bacolod to provide their dilapidated container van as portable police outpost to help prevent rampant robbery cases.
Carbon said that the city government could seek the support of barangay tanods for this kind of endeavor. He believes that if this suggestion will be given due attention, the response time of the police will be shortened.