SINCE his return as officer-in-charge of Police Station 2, Chief Insp. David Señor said the station has responded to three minors allegedly attempting to steal from a convenience store along Gen. Maxilom Ave. last week.
Señor said they picked the minors up because it was a “police response to an alarm,” but they immediately handed the young offenders to social workers.
He said his station will only rescue street children when there is an emergency alarm on a crime involving them, or if the children are caught by patrolling cops in the act of violating laws and ordinances.
“If it is a police response, we will respond, and if a child is caught in the act of asking for alms from a passerby, we will not wait for the Department of Social Welfare and Development,” Señor said.
Social workers
Señor stood on his earlier statement that the planned rescue operations for street children will no longer be initiated by his station but by barangay social workers. His station will only deploy one or two officers to provide security to the rescuing barangay staff.
Señor said he had met with barangay officials twice, so that they will be reminded of his plan to continue the station’s Oplan Libud Suroy program, which will now be in close coordination with the barangays.
Coordination
“It would have been the DSWD as the lead agency, but since they lack personnel that would do nightly duties, we’re now coordinating with the barangays),” Señor said.
Señor did not mention the details of the minors’ identities and arrest, as those were recorded in the police station’s pink blotter, which is off-limits to the media.
Top priority
Señor said the problem on street children remains the topmost priority in his station’s jurisdiction, which includes Osmeña Blvd. and Gen. Maxilom Ave., but the station is being very careful this time.
He said he is scheduled for a meeting with a representative of an establishment along Gen. Maxilom Ave. in the office of Cebu City Police Office Acting Chief Marciano Batiancela Jr. today. Señor said he has yet to find out the meeting’s topic, but it must be related to the security of the area.
Señor said he will also be coordinating with the Cebu City Sports Commission for a possible free sports training program to street children in the station’s jurisdiction.