Amateur radio groups eyed in anti-crime drive

MANILA, Philippines—Soon, Metro Manila residents and commuters will see men in red berets and vests ‎carrying handheld radios on lookout for crimes in malls and terminals.

To lessen robbery and theft incidents in the metropolis, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) tapped volunteers from communication groups to bring their radios and report crimes in areas frequented by people.

Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II and National Capital Region Police Office chief ‎met on Wednesday with radio communication groups in Camp Crame as part of the PNP’s anti-criminality campaign.

Representatives from Philippine Amateur Radio Association, React Philippines, Kabalikat Civicom, and Volunteer Radio Communication Group discussed with Roxas and Valmoria the areas of concern where radiomen would be deployed as soon as the DILG finalizes the protocols and guidelines of the cooperation.

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Roxas said a command center of volunteers would be embedded to high-crime areas in Metro Manila, including Masambong, Batasan, Kamuning in Quezon City and in cities of Taguig, Mandaluyong and Pasig.

For them to be easily recognized by complainants, volunteer radiomen will be required to wear red berets and red vests.

However, they would only patrol in their designated areas for a limited time. In the meeting, it was proposed that volunteers would report to their post from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

From the command centers, reports will be transmitted to the base radio supervised by the NCRPO, which will in turn relay the complaints to the police stations or units concerned.

Roxas admitted that what prompted the collaboration was the lack of policemen deployed to patrol in high-crime areas.

“With this cooperation, we expect that crime statistics in Metro Manila would greatly lessen,” he said.

 
‎If the project would fare well in the metropolis, he added it would also be cascaded to the regions.

The DILG, PNP and the radio communication groups will sign the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) after the commemoration of All Soul’s Day in November.

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