CHOKEPOINTS

Police score in anti-crime drive
By Jason B. Neola

NAGA CITY --- The Naga City Police Office here scored favorable results in its anti-crime campaign for the months of May and June, this year, “due to the active operationalization of Police Integrated Patrol System (PIPS) and the Motorcycle Cops Against Criminals (MOCACS).”

In his briefer before the members of the Peace and Order Council here, PSSupt. Vert T. Chavez, director of the Naga City Police Office, also attributed the significant accomplishment to the Barangay Information Network and the city government for coming up with several approaches that helped strengthen the city’s crime prevention campaign.

Naga City Mayor John G. Bongat’s issuance of executive order mandating the conduct of daily simultaneous checkpoints/chokepoints within the city’s 27 barangays contributes much in deterring criminal elements from plying their nefarious activities.

The installation of checkpoints and chokepoints, in collaboration with the City Public Safety Office (PSO) and barangay officials is a part of community-based anti-crime campaign of the new city administration.

Checkpoints and chokepoints are being put up unannounced especially during nighttime in strategic points of barangays, including those located in the upper portion of the city like Pacol, Cararayan, San Isidro, Carolina and Panicuason.

City crime clock

For the month of May this year, there were only 52 cases of crime against properties as compared to 109 cases during the same month last year. For crimes against persons, there were only 16 cases reported in May this year while there were 68 cases reported during the same month last year.

Also in May this year, crime volume for both index and non-index crimes were posted at a total of 88 cases compared to 288 cases during the same month of May last year.

It was also indicated in the same report that the crime solution efficiency for May 2011 has improved by 338% compared to the same period last year while the average monthly crime rate for the same period this year went down by 42% compared to last year’s.

For the month of June, the police posted a crime solution efficiency of 35.85 percent, or a variance of 89% over last year’s 18.61 percent.

Incidences of all types of crimes also decreased last month.

The police recorded 9 crimes against persons last June compared to 44 recorded during the same month in 2010; 26 for crimes against property compared to 68 in 2010.

In crimes against property, two persons were reported two victims of hold-up, 9 incidences of Akyat Bahay, and 14 incidences of snatching, shoplifting, pickpocket, and salisi. During the same period last year the police registered two cases of hold up, 11 Akyat Bahay, two highway robberies, and 55 cases of snatching, shoplifting, pickpocket and salisi.

Crimes against property, robbery and theft in particular, have the greatest number of unsolved cases.

In previous interview, PCI Nick Garcia of Naga City Police Station 1 disclosed that behind the police’s not so impressive performance in solving crimes are the emergence of new faces of rogues that have come out as fresh perpetrators of theft and robberies in the city.

He admitted that “these new elements have given the police a hard time to trace them, making a dent on its crime solution efficiency.”

The briefer also said that of the city’s 27 barangays, Dinaga and Concepcion Pequeña registered the highest number of crime incidents during the month of May 2011 with 10 each, followed by Triangulo, 7; Igualdad, 4 and Peñafrancia, 4.

From June 1 to 25, 2011, Triangulo registered 11 index crimes followed by Concepcion Pequeña with 4. Sta. Cruz and Concepcion Grande had 3 incidents each.

Insurgency

The same police report also said that there’s no crime incident that could be attributed to communist-insurgents in low-lying or in the upper portion of the city.

Nonetheless, Police Station 3 personnel manning the Barangay Carolina sub-station along with PSO personnel are continuously “monitoring their movements thru the assistance of the intelligence operatives in the community.”

The city police said the frequent conduct of patrolling had neutralized the operations of the armed group.



Let’s give them a round of applause! (claps…) Anti-Crime campaigns are weapons of destructing evil minded people if and only if given proper implementation. I’m glad to hear an unannounced checkpoints and chokepoints. I hate it when they do announced checkpoints. What is it for? If you’re a drug dealer, and you heard of a checkpoint nearby, would you carry your drugs with you? My goodness. That’s why upon reading this news, I’ve learned that Naga City’s police department are of the few who knows how to neutralize violence. Another round of applause please!