A simple set of do’s and don’ts could spell the difference.
This is how the Manila Police District (MPD) hopes to erase the city’s recently acquired reputation as the new “car theft capital” of the country.
In a press conference on Friday, Chief Insp. Rizalino Pecayo, the newly appointed chief of the MPD anticar theft unit, launched an information drive that would involve distributing leaflets in barangays and commercial areas around the city.
The campaign basically gives tips on how to protect vehicles from robbers and how to avoid being victimized by car-fencing syndicates. The fliers mainly contain 10 reminders:
Park your vehicle in well-lighted places.
Don’t wait or stay inside the vehicle when parked in an unfamiliar spot.
Don’t stop the car to pick up a stranger.
If followed, head for the nearest police station or a crowded area.
Try to vary your route going to work or other places you frequently visit.
Be wary of the surroundings when getting into or out of the car.
Avoid lending or entrusting the car to a person you don’t fully know.
Before buying a car, check first with the Land Transportation Office and the Highway Patrol Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP-HPG) if it’s not a stolen vehicle.
Don’t keep original documents relating to the car, such as receipts and the deed of sale, inside the vehicle.
Always be alert and observant on the road.
Earlier this month, the PNP-HPG noted that Manila had overtaken Quezon City in the number of reported car theft cases. In August alone, 19 cases were reported in Manila.
But Pecayo, who took over after Manila Mayor Aldredo Lim ordered a revamp of the MPD anticar theft unit because of the HPG report, disputed the HPG figures, saying the city police recorded only eight cases that month, three of which had since been solved. Rima Jessamine M. Granali