Within a 24-hour period, the police apprehended over 1,000 people in Quezon City for breaking local laws, the most common violation being jaywalking.
Chief Supt. Joselito Esquivel, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director, said that a total of 1,083 violators were accosted between 5 a.m. on Wednesday and 5 a.m. the following day.
Most of them, however, were let off with a warning while others were fined and charged.
All in all, 831 were accosted for jaywalking, 170 for smoking in public places, 34 for violating the curfew ordinance, 17 for drinking in public, 17 for littering and 14 for loitering.
Names taken
The Batasan police station led by Supt. Joel Villanueva accounted for the most number of apprehensions: 518 people for jaywalking; two for drinking in public places; 10 for smoking and nine minors for breaking the curfew ordinance.
Villanueva said that most of the jaywalkers were accosted in the Commonwealth and Litex areas.
“They were not invited to the police station but we got their [names] for record keeping so we can monitor [if] they were repeat offenders,” Villanueva added, noting that their crackdown resulted in less heavy traffic in the area and safer conditions for commuters waiting for a ride.
The Fairview police station apprehended 128 jaywalkers followed by the Cubao police station with 100; Project 4, 58; Anonas, 19; Eastwood and Masambong, three each and Kamuning, two. —WITH A REPORT FROM ALIANA LOIS DIAZ