QCPD rounds up street kids for students’ safety

The Quezon City Police District will be rounding up homeless children off the streets over the weekend as an added security measure for  students trooping back to school on Monday.

The QCPD will conduct the “rescue operations’’ mostly on major thoroughfares where pickpocketing and other petty crimes are rampant. These include Edsa, Araneta Avenue, Quezon Avenue and 13 other areas.

“It will be one of our preparations for the opening of classes aside from the security measures in school vicinities,” said Senior Supt. Joel Pagdilao, QCPD operations head.

Pagdilao noted that the number of petty crimes like snatching, pickpocketing, and robbery at knifepoint usually rises at the opening of classes. “We want to minimize these occurrences,” he told reporters Friday.

“We are also planning to check known lairs where these children sleep and live near the streets. Of course, we will apprehend those caught in the act,” Pagdilao said, adding that children as young as 10 years old have been reported to be engaged in petty crimes.

Senior Superintendent James Bucayu, QCPD deputy chief for administration, said the rescued children will be turned over to social workers. Police will be on the lookout especially for so-called “rugby boys’’ or glue-sniffing youngsters, he said.

More than 900 QCPD members and village watchmen will be deployed to help safeguard campuses on Monday.

QCPD director Chief Supt. Mario dela Vega also noted that some students also get victimized by out-of-school youths, bullies who extort money from them.

Dela Vega said his men will be posted at the different schools as early as 5 a.m. to set up help desks and also manage traffic.

Quezon City has a total of 268 schools and universities under its jurisdiction. With Daphne Magturo