Metro Manila police chief asks public's help vs criminals

MANILA -- Barely a week after his installation as Metro Manila's top cop, Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina called for public cooperation for a faster clamp down on law breakers amid increased crime rate in the capital.

"I am calling for everybody's support and cooperation in the fight against criminality," said Espina, the new chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).

Espina said he is very particular in the arrest and neutralization of known criminals who ruin the peace and order in the Metro. He added that the public can call NCRPO at 838-3203 or their respective police stations for immediate police assistance and intervention.

"I have given orders to all my Chiefs of Police and Station Commanders to publish and display in all street corners their respective police hotline numbers to hasten police response," Espina said.

The NCRPO chief earlier told the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) to boost its anti-crime efforts by increasing police visibility in the streets and in every barangay.

Espina also asked the QCPD to boost its campaign against major crimes in the city within the next two weeks.

Upon his installation as new NCRPO chief on September 7, Espina was urged by no less than Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Nicanor Bartolome to "hit hard on criminal elements."

Bartolome told Espina to maximize the deployment of police resources and personnel in "every nook and cranny" of the metropolis for a stronger law enforcement.

The PNP admitted last week that crime rate all over the country has decreased in the first six months of the year except in Metro Manila.

From January to June, authorities recorded 29,231 crimes in the region, a 57 percent increase from the 18,671 recorded incidents in the same period in 2011.

The increase in crime incidents was due to the fact that criminals have apparently become "smarter," according to Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo Jr., PNP spokesman.

Espina announced that five wanted criminals were arrested over the weekend while four others involved in hold-up incidents were also nabbed. (Emmanuel Louis Bacani/Sunnex)