There will be no rest for Quezon City policemen on weekends after Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director, Chief Supt. Edgardo Tinio, ordered the deployment to the streets of more law enforcers, particularly on Saturdays and Sundays when more people can be found in public places.
“We will walk the talk. Our policemen and police officials will be on the ground to supervise our beat patrols. I myself will be there,” Tinio told reporters at Camp Crame on Thursday.
So far, the QCPD has assigned 90 percent of its police force to beat and mobile patrols while only 10 percent remain at the headquarters to fulfill administrative functions.
Tinio explained that more crimes tend to occur on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays since people go to malls and other recreational places to enjoy their rest days and bond with their families.
Because of the added opportunities for criminals to prey on victims, the QCPD director stressed that policemen should be more proactive.
“We should also [be] on our toes during those days when crimes are expected to occur more often; we should be there to stop that from happening,” Tinio said.
He urged police officials to make up for working on weekends by bonding with their families on weekdays.
Tinio ordered policemen assigned to the Masambong, Cubao and Eastwood police stations to keep a closer eye on nearby malls.
Some of the big malls in Quezon City are SM North Edsa and Trinoma under the Masambong police station; Gateway, Ali Mall, SM Cubao and Farmers’ Plaza under the Cubao police station; and Eastwood Mall in Eastwood police station.
Tinio clarified that policemen would patrol only the outside of the malls while security inside the establishments would be the main responsibility of their guards.
Station commanders whose areas of jurisdiction include malls and recreational places should coordinate with the security personnel of these establishments to come up with a customized security plan, he said.
Policemen assigned to patrol the vicinity of malls, for example, should always communicate with the establishments’ security guards to ensure that they are abreast with the peace and order situation.
Tinio noted that aside from malls, they are also concerned about bus terminals and other transport hubs since some residents choose to go home to their provinces on weekends.
“It is during this time that pickpockets and thieves strike so the policemen should be on the ground during these times,” he said.