The Philippine National Police (PNP) in Central Visayas will deploy more personnel in areas identified as crime-prone to deter shooting incidents as the campaign period for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) nears. Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of Police Regional Office (PRO)-7 chief, Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin, said the standing order for the station chiefs is to strengthen police visibility in areas identified to be crime-prone due to recent spate of shooting incidents. His statement was made after the police in Central Visayas recorded 11 shooting incidents in different areas in Cebu in just one week from Sept. 24 to 30. ‘The directive of our regional director is, number 1, to make sure that our streets, not only those that are considered high risk or those isolated places, will be flooded with police personnel,’ Pelare said. Deployment of additional police personnel in crime-prone areas will also be based on other factors like the time of day that criminals might strike due to absence of police visibility, he said. Pelare said Aberin ordered station commanders not to leave shooting cases in their jurisdictions unsolved and to exert efforts to bring perpetrators to justice. ‘There is no reason to be alarmed. I’d like to assure the people of Central Visayas that the region is generally peaceful and the PRO-7 is on top of those cases,’ he said. He added that the shooting incidents were isolated cases as there are no proof that they are related to the upcoming political exercises and no victim has been identified as an aspirant for the BSKE on Oct. 30.
Source: Philippines News Agency
