How the police are keeping Iloilo City safe

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BY RUBY SILUBRICO
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HAS ANYONE you know – friends, relatives, acquaintances – from outside Iloilo ever asked you recently if the city is safe?

Criticisms – including from no less than President Rodrigo Duterte himself – casted doubt on Iloilo City’s peace and order, and overall livability.

But local authorities insist that Iloilo City is relatively safer and more peaceful than other metropolises in the Philippines.

The crime rate, for instance, has declined, according to the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO).

The ICPO records 65.8 average monthly crimes this year, lower than last year’s 77.47, says Senior Inspector Shella Mae Sangrines, spokeswoman.

Increased police presence, the enforcement of curfew among minors and other ordinances, and effective shifts among on-duty officers contribute to safer streets, Sangrines says.

Currently, the ICPO practices a 7-9-7 duty scheme. Officers are on duty up to 12 hours, with three shifts, she says.

The first shift starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 7 p.m.; the second shift, from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. the following day; the third shift, a repetition of the first shift.

Meanwhile, curfew hours among minors are between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.

Minors are prohibited from loitering beyond 10 p.m. in restaurants, nightclubs, motels, dance halls, and amusement places such as Internet cafés, video arcades, karaoke bars, billiard halls, beach resorts, and other similar establishments.

They are also prohibited from selling or vending whatever items (including food and beverages) even with their parents or guardians around, and its shall be unlawful for business establishments to admit minors within their premises during curfew hours.

Sangrines says they continue their “saturation” drives among minors. The ICPO immediately responds whenever minors get involved in “gang wars” and other illegal activities.

But despite the decrease in crimes, Sangrines urges the public to stay “alert, vigilant and observant.” Wherever they go, she says, Ilonggos must bear in mind the following:

• Do not talk to strangers.

• Do not entertain persons not familiar to you.

• Pay attention to your personal belongings when riding a passenger jeepney.

• Beware of the modus operandi “dagdag barya” (culprits would drop coins and ask you to pick them up while they stealthily take your mobile phone and/or wallet) and “bump and ride” (culprits will strike the rear of the target vehicle and shanghai it when the driver disembarks).

• Avoid parking your vehicle in dim areas. Choose areas where there are security cameras.

• Do not leave expensive items (laptop computers, jewelry, among others) in the vehicle. Always lock the vehicle doors and windows and the back compartment before leaving.

• Put safety measures such as alarms, steering wheel lock tire locks and kill swings in your vehicle.

• Be alert and immediately report to the nearest police station if you need help. Contact (033) 337-0400 or 0908-377-0194.

These numbers are the ICPO’s “centralized hotlines” that accommodate general public queries and concerns 24/7. They were launched on Aug. 9, says Sangrines.

Just months ago, the ICPO also placed hotlines in each of the seven districts, only to discover later that some of them do not function all the time. Hence, the centralized ones, says Senior Superintendent Remus Zacharias Canieso, ICPO director.

“These numbers are manned 24/7 by personnel assigned at the City Tactical Operations Center,” Canieso says, adding that calling and sending text messages to the hotlines are free of charge.

Aside from accommodating help calls and allowing officers to quickly respond to crimes and emergencies, the hotlines will also take in complaints and other concerns against the police force, the ICPO says.

Canieso believes these hotline numbers will help the police get closer to the public and gain their trust and confidence – and eventually encourage them to provide vital information that could help prevent or end crimes. “We ensure the secrecy of the identity of anyone providing sensitive information,” the ICPO director says. (Photos by Ian Paul Cordero/PN)
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