MAYOR Mauricio Domogan wants the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) to work double time and for residents to cooperate with the city’s anti-drug campaign to make the city drug-free by the end of this year.
The local chief executive claimed the increasing number of drug surrenderers and those being apprehended for their involvement in the illegal drug trade only show that law enforcers have a still a lot of work to do to address the drug problem in the city with the support of residents who should provide vital information that can lead to the arrest of those who continue to be involved in the lucrative drug trade.
As of last week, he noted there is already a total of 2,390 drug surrenderers from the different barangays with 1,984 drug users and 406 drug pushers.
On the other hand, he reported there are 206 individuals who were arrested by combined police operatives and anti-narcotics agents in various anti-drug operations with 182 drug pushers and 24 users.
For the confiscated drugs, Domogan claimed there is more than P4.4 million worth of shabu confiscated by the operating troops from the arrested drug personalities while the value of the marijuana seized by the authorities remains at P729,729.
“We appeal to everyone to be continuously vigilant on illegal drugs matters so that we can make our city drug free by the end of this year. Residents must cooperate in identifying those involved in the illegal drug trade in their barangays so that they could be immediately arrested and charged because we want to spare our youth from the serious negative effects of the use of illegal drugs,” Domogan stressed.
Domogan added the government’s anti-drug campaign has greatly contributed in improving the peace and order situation in the city with the significant reduction in the volume of crimes but there are also negative effects of the campaign, particularly the loss of innocent lives and the use of the anti-drug campaign to get back at some individual’s detractors among others.
The mayor claimed arresting individuals involved in the lucrative illegal trade would be easier on the part of the police once residents and barangay officials cooperate by providing information on the presence of drug personalities in their areas of jurisdiction so that the appropriate operations could be planed and implemented the soonest.
By the end of 2016, the local police force reported there were around 2,360 drug surrenderers in the city and the series of anti-drug operations resulted in the increase in the number of arrested drug personalities coupled with the rising number of drug surrenderers in the different barangays.
Domogan asserted the government’s anti-drug campaign will only be successful if the barangay residents will cooperate in anti-drug operations so that the illegal drug activities of the remaining drug personalities will be neutralized and that the supply of the prohibited drugs will also be minimized making it difficult for drug pushers and users to have access to the prohibited drugs. (Dexter See/PIO)