By Jean Fernando
The Pasay City police have identified 14 critical areas in the city where lawless elements, particularly holdup suspects and snatchers usually hangout waiting for would be victims.
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The critical areas identified by the police were Buendia corner Roxas Boulevard; Buendia corner Taft Avenue (northbound) going to Manila; Buendia corner Taft Avenue (southbound) going to EDSA; EDSA Rotonda near Savemore Mall; EDSA Rotonda; EDSA corner Roxas Boulevard; EDSA corner F.B. Harrison Footbridge; EDSA corner F.B. Harrison Extension; EDSA Rotonda near Kabayan Hotel; EDSA corner Apelo Cruz fronting Jollibee fast food chain; EDSA corner Cabrera Footbridge; C. Jose corner EDSA fronting 7-11 convenience store ; EDSA corner C. Jose Extension fronting UCPB Bank and the Metro Park-EDSA Extension near Jollibee/Chowking.
After identifying these critical areas, city police chief Colonel Bernard Yang said he came out with a directive ordering the 12 police community precinct (PCP) commanders to immediately dispatch two policemen in buddy system to patrol these areas 24 hours a day.
Aside from the posting of police personnel, Yang also said that four mobile patrol cars were also dispatched on standby with continuous mobile blinkers on, which could be seen at the four main critical points, namely Buendia-Roxas Boulevard; Buendia-Taft Avenue; EDSA-Roxas Boulevard and EDSA Rotunda to enhance police visibility and anti-criminality measures as well as to ensure the safety and security of the people in maintaining the peace and order in the city.
The city police chief said that previously, PCPs have recorded a high number of holdup and snatching incidents at the identified areas, however, most of the supposed to be complainants or victims prefer not to report the matter to the police or either file necessary charges against the culprits who had victimized them.
Yang said that since uniformed policemen, as well as mobile patrol vehicles with blinkers on, were dispatched in the identified critical areas to assist any victims of any lawless elements, robbery/holdup and snatching incidents started to decrease rapidly.
Yang further said that mobile patrol cars with blinkers on were of big help to the policemen posted in the critical areas as lawless elements will have to think twice before they will do the crime.
Likewise, Yang explained that the dispatched buddy policemen posted from end to end on every footbridge disrupt criminals from victimizing would be victims.
“Holdup suspects or snatchers who victimized those passing the footbridge can immediately be arrested by our police officers as they were nowhere to go because of the two policemen posted from end to end of the footbridge,” Yang said.
“The presence of mobile patrol cars with blinkers on is very effective that brought the decrease of incidents perpetrated by lawless elements. I also personally conducts surprise inspections to all those deployed in the critical areas to ensure that they are all in their posts to ensure the safety of the people and at the same time maintain the peace and order situation in the city,” Yang stressed.