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Saturday, January 07, 2006
Nalzaro: Murder incidents not alarming
By Bobby Nalzaro
Police statistics showed a reduction in robbery cases, especially street crimes, in Cebu City in 2005 compared to 2004, although murder and homicide cases increased.
Police officials attributed the reduction to the presence of so-called vigilantes gunning down suspected criminal elements. The shooting rampage killed more than a hundred people, most of them with criminal records, in 2005.
All peace-loving Cebuanos should welcome this development. The presence of vigilantes in the city has sowed terror in the underworld. Not only were small-time criminals killed but also big names in the illegal drug trade.
Imagine if even half of those killed by vigilantes were robbers and were allowed to continue their nefarious activities. How many innocent people would these people have victimized?
The rise in the number of murder incidents in the city is not alarming because almost all of the victims had derogatory records. They were criminals who got out of jails and refused to reform. The rest of the killings, on the other hand, involved personal grudge or were fraternity related.
The murders will only become alarming if those killed were innocent and peace-loving people. Or if people with no criminal records are shot for no apparent reason.
Admittedly, sloppy police work is the reason why vigilantes exist. Because of the rise in robbery cases, some people take the law into their own hands.
In fairness to the police, however, there are many reasons, especially concerning manpower, why they cannot be expected to protect us from criminal elements 24 hours a day. Cebu, for example, which has more than 2 million inhabitants, only has 800 policemen, or a ratio of one policeman to every 2,500 residents.
Policemen are no supermen. They have their own limitations. Because of this, they need the help of the community to be able to solve crimes and arrest and prosecute the suspects.
The public plays a vital role in solving crimes. That is why among the so-called five pillars of our criminal justice system, the community is in the frontline.
On the matter of not giving criminals a chance to reform, I beg to disagree. These people, when they got out of jail or when the court allowed them to post bail, were allowed to reform. Examples are Wilfredo “Lawlaw” Cabanit, Alemar Luna and Nanik Shewakram.
But what did they do? They continued to terrorize the people with their activities. So they were eliminated.
(bgnalzaro@gmanetwork.com)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (January 7, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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