Sunday, December 16, 2007 As dawn masses start, so do extra security rituals
AS CATHOLICS start to flock to churches for the traditional dawn masses before Christmas, the police in Cebu have been instructed to maintain visibility starting today.
The Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 will also hold its own “Misa de Gallo” at the St. Ignatius Chapel in Camp Sergio Osmeña Sr.
At the Cebu Provincial Police Office, all units were instructed to set up police assistance centers near entrances of churches, while all units will also ensure the smooth flow of traffic.
They were also told to deploy security personnel to churches, intensify intelligence monitoring, conduct preventive patrols and random mobile checkpoints, and to augment members of the barangay intelligence network, tanods and the parish security group.
Cebu City Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador said that in many discussions, one suggestion was that police visibility in churches should be intensified during Sundays and occasions when the faithful gather.
Comendador also warned homeowners to be wary of “opportunists” who might take advantage of the busy season.
He noted a new method wherein swindlers fool housemaids into thinking that the homeowner commissioned their services to repair house appliances, only to run away with these unnoticed.
Comendador asked homeowners to make sure someone is left at home to watch the house to deter thieves or burglars.
He also urged churchgoers to refrain from wearing expensive jewelry or bringing valuables.
At the PRO 7, Regional Chief of Staff Arnulfo Perez sent a memorandum to all heads of offices and national support units detailing a schedule of the nine-day “Misa de Gallo” masses. They will also hold night masses on the 24th and the 31st.
Perez said this is the PRO 7’s way of “celebrating Christmas in an austere manner.”
Police chiefs have also been told to make sure Christmas parties are celebrated simply and not to serve alcohol. They should also refrain from soliciting funds for their parties.
Meanwhile, stopping crime is high on Comendador’s agenda.
Momentum
Because of their success in solving several fraternity-related crimes, the Cebu City police chief wants to “keep their momentum” and focus on preventing crimes perpetrated by “street hoodlums.”
Street hoodlums are what Comendador calls members of gangs and fraternities who commit crimes. “Once they violate the law, they become street hoodlums,” he said.
To address this, Comendador is thinking about creating a special team dedicated to addressing the problem.
While this will not be a separate unit, the team will be directly under his control and will be composed of elements from the Mobile Patrol Group, intelligence office and beat patrol cops.
“It is high time that we addressed this problem, when we now have successes against these groups,” Comendador told reporters.
The successive arrests of three fraternity members linked to crimes solved at least nine cases.
Comendador said they are better prepared to go after these “hoodlums” because they now have profiles of some members and a database of offenders linked to these groups.
He said that even in other countries, the line between fraternities and gangs are blurred, and noted that this problem is expected to surge as Cebu City becomes more urbanized.
On top of a special team for street hoodlums, night watch patrols will continue, as the operation has been successful in preventing petty crimes. (MEA)
