CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Pampanga police office is now preparing to ensure that the upcoming synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Elections on October 28 will be safe and orderly.

Senior Superintendent Oscar Albayalde, Pampanga police director, said they will implement a campaign against loose firearms, service of warrants and intensified checkpoint operations.

Deployment of personnel to critical areas is also necessary in order to achieve peaceful elections, he said.

Aside from these, an intelligence team belonging to the Regional Special Operation Task Group (RSOTG) will be dispatched in key areas to gather information in connection with the barangay polls and neutralize criminal groups that operate during election period.

The local police are working in close coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Albayalde said.

Gun ban will be strictly implemented to lessen the number of shooting incidents in the province throughout the election period, he said.

"We will be establishing Police Assistance Desk in all polling centers to secure the people," he added.

Police-community partnership must be maintained and strengthened to harness the cooperative potential of the barangays in preventing violence, he said.