Crime surge in September prompts Pasig police to have 24/7 street patrol

MANILA, Philippines—The Pasig police have modified the deployment of their personnel after a surge in crime incidents in the city in September, a police official said.

According to the records of the Eastern Police District (EPD), the number of crime cases, most of which were robbery and theft, in Pasig City, rose from 57 to 100 from August to September.

“Reports reaching us don’t tell lies. Crimes are rampant especially now that Christmas is fast approaching,” Inspector Regie Gapasin, deputy head of EPD’s operations and plans division, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Of the 100 cases, most occurred from midnight to dawn, PO1 Gaby Capinpin of EPD’s public information office, said.

Apart from the pattern, Capinpin also noted that robbers have shifted their targets from highly secured banks to small business establishments such as convenience stores, logistic offices, and fast food chain.

Last week around 2:30 a.m., a lone robber held up a convenience store in Barangay Oranbo, Pasig, killing one security guard.

On Sunday at 4:40 a.m., two armed men at gunpoint took away the daily cash earnings of a Yellow Cab Pizza branch along C. Raymundo Avenue in Barangay Maybunga, Pasig City.

Supt. Alfredo Calama-an, the deputy police chief of Pasig City, said the crimes prompted them to divide their Motorized Anti-Street Crimes Operatives (Masco) team into two teams to work in two shifts. One team works from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. while the other patrols the streets from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

He said the new deployment would also include the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team.

Although he lamented the shortage of policemen in Pasig City, he said the barangay watchmen and civilian enforcers of the Pasig City Hall have been augmenting their force.

“We now have a ratio of 1 policeman to 1, 200 residents, which is far from ideal 1:500,” Calama-an said.

He also appealed to business owners in Pasig City to work closely with the police to prevent crimes from occurring particularly during the Christmas season.