70% of Metro cops to go on street patrol

The chief of the Metro Manila police wants 70 percent of his 19,000-strong force on street patrol, a target he seeks to accomplish this week.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Chief Supt. Joel Pagdilao said he wanted more uniformed men and women off desk work and on field assignments, as he attributed a recent downtrend in crime to increased police visibility.

This was in accordance with a directive from the Philippine National Police chief Director General Ricardo Marquez, to put all rookies—those ranked Police Officer 1—on patrol duty instead of keeping them in precincts, Pagdilao said in a recent briefing. Marquez assumed the top PNP post in July.

At present, around 60 percent of NCRPO personnel are already deployed in the streets, according to the regional director.

In a presentation, Pagdilao cited this as a key factor behind the 11-percent drop in crime incidents in the capital, from a total of 540 in the Aug. 10-16 period, to 478 in the week that followed, Aug. 17-23. The NCRPO data covers reported cases of murder and homicide, robbery, car and motorcycle theft, and physical injuries.

“The increased police presence in the streets helps in crime prevention. The NCRPO is therefore expecting a decrease in crime incidents in the coming days,” he said.

Pagdilao also noted a downtrend following the implementation of the PNP’s Oplan Lambat Sibat anticrime drive since last year.

From Dec. 30, 2013, to June 15, 2014, before Lambat Sibat went into force, the average number of crimes recorded in the metropolis stood at 1,139 a week. The Aug. 17-23, 2015, figure of 478 reflects a 58-percent drop, he noted. Jaymee T. Gamil

Originally posted: 04:50 PM September 5th, 2015

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