Police ‘intensify’ operations anew for summer vacation

MANILA, Philippines—Now that summer is here, the Philippine National Police is on its toes to keep vacationers and out-of-towners safe from criminals for the next 75 days, officials said.

The PNP spokesperson, Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr., said the PNP would implement the two-and-a-half month public safety campaign dubbed Oplan: SumVac (summer vacation) 2012 for the entire dry season.

The campaign kicked off after the closing of the schoolyear this month with thousands of students returning to their home provinces, Cruz said.

“Oplan SumVac will remain in effect through the Holy Week in April, the traditional fiesta and Flores de Mayo season in May and the opening of the next school year in June,” he said in a statement.

PNP Director General Nicanor A. Bartolome said intensified police operations would continue against street crime syndicates “especially those involving riding-in-tandem (sic) suspects.”

He ordered sustained law enforcement operations against armed motorcycle-riding men  engaged in robbery and other forms of street crime.

The PNP chief cited recent successful police operations that led to the arrest of suspects involved in high profile cases, including the robbery-killing of 15-year-old honor student Rowell Cruz, who was robbed of his portable videogame console and cellphone by motorcycle-riding thugs.

Two suspects were eventually arrested in Taguig City.

Police operations in January resulted in the neutralization of 30 motorcycle-riding men allegedly involved in a total of 242 shootings, robberies and other crimes, Bartolome said.

“Police checkpoint operations have proven effective in intercepting riding-in-tandem (sic) suspects, and local PNP units have been ordered to press mobile checkpoint operations particularly around crime-prone areas,” he added.

He said every motorcycle-riding suspect arrested usually meant the solution of a string of criminal cases.

Bartolome pointed out one case where an armed motorcycle-riding suspect intercepted at a police checkpoint yielded a gun that turned out to be involved in 12 previous shooting incidents.