Former chief of the National Capital Region Police Office Leonardo Espina
It sounded sensible when proposed earlier this year, but apparently nobody took it seriously—until it was again “hammered” home on Sunday.
The Dec. 15 jewelry robbery at SM North Edsa in Quezon City revived proposals to monitor the sale of hardware tools bought inside shopping malls, a security measure first suggested in the aftermath of a similar heist that hit SM Megamall on Jan. 26.
It was Director Leonardo Espina, then chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), who broached the idea for mall owners to issue purchase stubs to customers who buy hammers, crowbars and other heavy tools so that they won’t be carrying these items while still inside the mall. They can only claim them once they step out and upon presentation of the stubs.
But with Espina later transferred, his proposal apparently went the way of many ningas-kugon, or short-lived, initiatives.
“Yes, there was a recommendation like that. But it was implemented for only a short while by the malls,” Chief Insp. Rodelio Marcelo of the Quezon City Police District said when reminded of the measure.
“When the incident last Sunday happened, the recommendation was brought up again since it was not continuously implemented,” he said in an interview Tuesday.
Marcelo, head of the QCPD’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, noted that like in the SM Megamall robbery, the crowbar and hammer used to destroy the jewelry cases at SM North Edsa were bought at the department store.
Based on the recovered receipt, the items were bought at 6:33 p.m., about 45 minutes before the robbery.
QCPD director Chief Supt. Richard Albano called for the reimplementation of Espina’s recommendation and also urged mall officials to be more “proactive” in the use of surveillance cameras.
“There should be someone who is always monitoring the cameras. They saw someone breaking the jewelry displays already, so they should act on it,” he added.