‘Focus on solving crimes, not just masiao’

A month after he assumed command  of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO), Senior Supt. Noel Angeles Gillamac said he is not satisfied with  his men’s performance against illegal gambling. He likewise directed his men to attend to unsolved cases.

“I don’t want to see and hear reports such as old people getting arrested because of illegal gambling.  I want suspects of big crimes to be arrested,” said  Gillamac.

“I am not impressed with their fulfillment of arresting those who are doing masiao. I want to give justice to the victims of cases which are still unsolved until now,” he added.

Gillamac is pushing for the police under his command   to go over all unresolved cases including theft, robbery and murder and  crack the cases and then nab the perpetrators.

He has ordered his men to present to him a  list of all unresolved crimes in their areas from January to September 2013.

Unsolved cases have piled up because most complainants are no longer interested in  following up their  complaints as policemen shift their focus to new and bigger ones.

Gillamac wants to change this by educating  complainants on the steps involved when  filing a case. He said most complainants  don’t know the procedures in pursuing complaints .

In order to facilitate the process,  Gillamac ordered all police units to be ready with pro forma affidavits and victim’s profile forms to be filled up by walk-in complainants so they would be educated in the procedure of filing a  case.

“Our objective is to make it a lot easier for complainants to file a case,” Gillamac said.

The pro forma affidavit will be required in all offices under CPPO. Complainants fill up the form with the pertinent  information to aid police in  determining the validity of a charge.

To deter criminal activity, Gillamac wants conspicuous police presence in strategic and crime-prone areas. “I want my men to interact with the people in the area.  They have to know their surroundings to have an output,” Gillamac said.

He believes this can be achieved with his men’s  sincerity in the performance of their duties.  He added. “I have to put the  right people in the right place and right time. I don’t want my men to look like security guards who would just be standing in one place until their duty hours will be finished.”

When he was chief of the Mandaue City Police Office, Gillamac closely monitored   policemen under his command. His present post will see him acting no differently.  Based on his observation, foremost among the problems of policemen is the lack of drive to serve. “I need selfless commitment from my men who will be giving genuine public service, who will not be thinking of themselves and their family only,” Gillamac said./CORRESPONDENT CHRISTINE EMILY L. PANTALEON