CITY Police Director Benedicto Lopez of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) ordered his men to apprehend all motorcycles traveling without plate numbers.
Lopez’s order came following the series of robbery in the city where suspects were using motorcycles without plate numbers as their getaway vehicles.
The Cocpo chief warned that even ranking police officials found violating this policy will face appropriate charges as he emphasized that policemen are not exempted from this order.
“Even if the owner of the vehicle is a police officer, he needs to be apprehended,” Lopez said.
Since the last week of January, a series of robbery incidents have occurred in the city. The first victim was Honda Motor World Inc. followed by the Yacapin branch of courier company LBC.
After the twin incidents, two employees of Philippine Iron Construction and Marine Works (PICMW) who just withdrawn money from the bank were robbed where one of the victim was shot by one of the three suspects on board a single motorcycle.
The latest robbery in the city happened last Sunday where a Chinese businesswoman was robbed while his driver was shot after he attempted to help her. The driver later died.
Police said the suspects in these series of robbery incidents all used single motorcycles. Until now, police authorities have yet to solve any of these cases.
Meanwhile, Police Chief Inspector Reynaldo Reyes, chief of the newly created City Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU), said dozens of motorcycles without plate numbers have already been apprehended.
He said some of their police personnel have even faced charges from the owners of the motorcycles who later filed complaints as a result of this policy.