Iligan police cracks down criminality

THE Iligan City police office’s massive drive against street criminality is reaping fruits with the arrest of two suspected criminals and the confiscation of an explosive, firearms, and illegal drugs, a police official on Wednesday said.

Police Superintendent Ronnie Francis Cariaga, spokesperson of Police Regional Office Northern Mindanao, said the two suspects Abu Sahid Dimala, and a 17-year-old teenager were arrested last Tuesday at about 7:35 p.m. in Iligan City.

Personnel of Iligan Police Stations 4 and 5 confiscated a hand grenade, two calibre .45 pistols and sachets of believed to be shabu from the two suspects.

The two suspects are now detained pending the filing of charges of illegal possession of explosive, illegal possession of firearms, and violation of Republic Act 9165.

Earlier, police regional director Chief Superintendent Catalino Rodriguez directed all police stations in the region to double it police operations following the killings of two policemen in Iligan City, and even before the noise barrage was made by Xavier University students.

Rodriguez reiterates its stand against all forms of criminalities through the memorandum issued to all police offices in the province and city in order to institute concrete measures to prevent and stop the reported rising criminalities.

In the same directives, all unit commanders, especially chiefs of police were ordered to personally oversee the conduct of police anti-crime intelligence driven operations.

Rodriguez also reminded that the operational thrust of the PNP is the active presence of policemen in the streets in all places of convergence.

Cariaga said some 80 personnel from the Regional Public Safety Battalion were deployed to Cagayan de Oro City Police Office and Iligan City Police Office for police visibility augmentation.

“There will be additional deployment of police officers in the provinces in line with the observance of the Holy Week,” Cariaga said.

Meanwhile, the immediate family of slain Police Office 3 Christopher Neniza, Police Officer 1 John Yoland Manatad has received financial assistance during the visit of Chief Supt. Rodriguez on Tuesday.

Apart from this, the family is expected to receive more financial assistance from the Public Safety Mutual Benefit Fund Inc., an insurance company that caters the needs of its members, mostly police officers.