DCPO: Davao City ‘still safe’

SunStar file photo
SunStar file photo

DESPITE the recent crimes happening in the city, an official from the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) assured that “Davao City is still safe.”

“Davao City is still safe po... in fact, bumaba po ang (we recorded lower) crime incidents this year compared to last year,” DCPO spokesperson PMaj. Catherine Dela Rey said in a Facebook message to SunStar Davao, May 29.

“We could say that effective and efficient po ang conduct of intensified crime prevention activities like police visibility through patrols and implementation of anti-criminality campaign,” she added.

Dela Rey said that the DCPO’s latest data recorded 94 focus crimes in the city from January to April this year, compared to 167 cases for the same period last year.

Focus crimes include murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, theft, robbery, car theft, and motorcycle theft.

The DCPO spokesperson also said they are in accord with the Police Regional Office - Davao Region’s (PRO-Davao) mandate of intensifying patrolling on the streets through the recently launched Patrol Rehiyon Onse program.

She dubbed patrolling as the “backbone” of the police's job, as it “prevents more crimes than solving them”.

“Sa (In this program) Patrol Rehiyon Onse, gipabalik sa atong regional director [PBGen Alden Delvo] ang pinakabasic jud na trabaho sa kapulisan, mao ni ang crime prevention o ang pagpatrol diha sa mga kadalanan (our regional director had revived the basic job of police - to patrol along the streets),” Dela Rey said during a radio interview with Davao City Disaster Radio.

Dela Rey also said they had achieved zero crime incidence during the city’s hostings of big and small events such as this year’s Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions, Exhibitions Conference (Micecon), Ironman 70.3 marathon, Araw ng Dabaw, among others.

“Ginapaningkamotan sa Davao City Police Office led by City Director Col. Alberto Lupaz na mas mobaba pa jud, masirado nato ang tuig sa pinakababa na record sa crime incidence sa dakbayan sa Davao (We are striving to further reduce crime rates in the city and achieve a record-low of crime incidence for the year),” Dela Rey said.

Notably, former Davao City Mayor and president Rodrigo Duterte commented that “the streets are not yet safe anymore” and that disturbing crimes have seemed to add up in the country.

"There are a lot of heinous crimes committed sa (on) helpless citizens. These streets are really not that safe anymore,” Duterte said in a speech, May 25.

More than a week ago, architect Vlanche Marie Bragas was killed in Calinan by unknown suspects and is under investigation by the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) Bragas.

Another shooting incident was also reported along R.Castillo, Davao City involving an ex-army as one of the persons of interest. Last April, a personnel from Philippine Coast Guard-Davao (PCG-Davao) had allegedly raped several freelance models.

Reportedly, the DCPO tagged these incidents as “isolated cases”.

However, Dela Rey urged the public to report any threats to Davao City’s security and safety to DCPO.

“In maintaining peace and order in Davao City, please do report any mga kaduda-duda na lihok and any information na matan-aw ninyo threat sa dakbayan sa Davao (Please report any suspicious activities or information that you may observe as a potential threat to the city of Davao),” Dela Rey said. ICE

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph