The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) has strengthened its security measures following a string of robbery cases in the locality in recent weeks.
Colonel Noel Aliño, BCPO director, said Thursday, January 18, that he ordered all station commanders to coordinate with the barangays in their areas of jurisdiction to conduct joint patrolling, along with village watchmen, and volunteers.
This came after two suspected thieves were caught at Barangay Singcang-Airport, Bacolod City on Wednesday night, January 17.
Nabbed were 23-year-old Francis Agustin y Buenavista of Brgy. Singcang-Airport and Rhys Vincent Tanghal, 18, of Brgy. Alijis. Both were tagged by the police as street-level individuals.
According to the police report, the two suspects were caught in the act of stealing a set of mechanical tools inside the vehicle owned by 35-year-old Miquearht Perez of Brgy. Singcang-Airport.
The two suspects were arrested in a hot pursuit operation by personnel of Police Station 8.
Recovered from them were the stolen mechanical tools placed inside a sack, two sachets of suspected shabu, three coin purses, and a lighter.
The suspects are now detained at Police Station 8.
Aliño said that the arrest of the suspects was one of the good results of the implemented police interventions.
He said that the two suspected thieves were notorious, as they were involved in previous theft incidents during the time of former mayor Evelio Leonardia.
Lieutenant Colonel Ronnie Brillo, administrative officer for the office of the City Director of the BCPO, in a media interview on Wednesday, January 17, is urging the victims of robbery and theft incidents to immediately report the cases to their police station so it can be investigated.
As of January 17, three incidents were reported in Police Stations 3, 4, and 9.
Brillo said that most of the suspects were not part of an organized group, as they were only looking for an opportunity to commit the crime.
He said that the BCPO director has directed station commanders to solve these incidents and strengthen their visibility patrol.
Brillo also assured the Bacolodnons that the city police were on top of the situation. (MPE)