QCPD director Chief Supt. Edgardo G. Tinio briefs the bike patrollers inside Camp Karingal before they go on duty. PHOTOS BY Paolo V. papa/contributor
RESIDENTS of Sikatuna, Teachers and UP Villages enjoy some peace of mind, thanks to the bike patrols deployed to their barangays by the Quezon City Police District (QCPD).
Those who laud the initiative particularly note the reassuring presence of the male and female patrollers, who roam the streets with ready acts of courtesy while looking sharp in the light blue shirts, dark short pants and biking helmets that make up their uniform.
Bikes do not emit carbon or fumes that cause air pollution, and that’s the ecological aspect of the bike patrol project, said the QCPD director, Chief Supt. Edgardo Tinio.
For the project, 25 bikes were donated by the Police Savings & Loans Association to the QCPD. The patrol teams are under the direct supervision of Supt. Osmundo de Guzman, head of the District Public Safety Battalion.
While safeguarding life and property, the low maintenance project promotes a healthy and earth-friendly mode of transport, helps raise environmental awareness and allows the QCPD to do its modest share in mitigating global warming and climate change, Tinio said.
“Bike patrolling also enhances the physical fitness and mental alertness of our police, which is not the case with clerical or desk work,” the official added.
One resident observed how the use of bikes instead of smoke-emitting cars to patrol the neighborhood jibes with efforts to promote Maginhawa Street—the main road that cuts through Sikatuna Village, Teachers and UP Villages—as a local tourist draw.
A city ordinance approved in 2015 pushed the development of Maginhawa and nearby streets as an “art and food hub.” The bike patrol was launched in December in time for the Maginhawa Food Festival.
THE MEN and women of the Quezon City police bike patrol have been a welcome addition to residents of Sikatuna, Teachers and UP Villages who see them as a crime deterrent.
But while the Maginhawa restaurant row may be the focus, residents are glad to see the patrollers also covering inner streets. To show their appreciation, not a few homeowners have taken selfies with the lawmen-on-bikes, or handed them snacks, sweets or refreshments.
And since the bikers can move around without making much noise, putting them practically in stealth mode, that’s more bad news for the criminals being tailed or cornered. The patrollers’ speed and mobility may also be considered apt for responding to petty crimes, disturbances or emergency situations that can be addressed at the barangay government level.
Chief Insp. Rico Figueroa, head of the QCPD’s District Anti-Illegal Drugs unit, credits the bike patrollers for being a deterrent against drugs in the area.
Tinio said the QCPD would gladly welcome more bike donations (instead of cash) for the project since QC residents in other villages may wish to have their own bike patrollers.