Consider them armed and primed.
Around P26-million worth of equipment was turned over Monday by Pasig Mayor Maribel Eusebio to the city police force in a bid to boost its crime-fighting capabilities.
The turnover of 10 L-300 Mitsubishi vans, 20 motorcycles and 90 handheld radios, among other equipment, was done during the flag-raising ceremony held at the Pasig City Hall and on the second day of National Crime Prevention Week.
Apart from the vehicles, the Pasig police led by their chief, Senior Supt. Mario Rariza, also received 20 M-16 super rifles, 20 ballistic vests and shields and other Special Weapons and Tactics equipment.
Also present during the turnover were National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) head Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo and Eastern Police District director Chief Supt. Miguel Laurel.
“We hope that the peace and order situation in our city will be better,” Eusebio said, adding that while Pasig was “relatively peaceful,” there was always room for some improvement.
She expressed hope that the police would care for the new equipment and use these “for the good of the people.”
Rariza, for his part, thanked Eusebio for her donation which he said would be a big boost to their fight against criminality.
He said that with the new equipment and additional policemen from the NCRPO, they hope to bring down the crime rate in the city despite the lack of policemen.
According to Rariza, there were only 436 policemen tasked to look after the city’s 30 barangays (villages), far from the ideal ratio of one policeman every 1,480 residents.
According to a 2012 release from the National Statistics Office, the city’s population stood at 669,773 in 2010.
Rariza, however, said that the NCRPO brought in an additional 60 policemen, bringing the number of the Pasig police force to 436.
“[The problem about the lack of policemen] was addressed somehow,” he told the Inquirer although he added that he had received news that more policemen would be deployed to the city.
He added the equipment given by the local government would help them improve their performance despite the manpower shortage.
“We believe that with this, we can bring down the crime rate in the city,” he said.