More than 1,800 police personnel were dispatched in strategic areas in southern part of Metro Manila to conduct beat patrol and routine round operations to prevent robbery and other crimes.
The move, according to SPD commander Brig. Gen. Jimili Macaraeg, is in line with the program of the National Capital Region Police Office to increase police visibility and make them more accessible to the people.
He said his men will be an additional force to render patrol beats in places of convergence in Metro Manila.
The policemen, composed of 482 personnel from the SPD Mobile Force Battalion and 1,378 from different police stations, will be having additional two hours of patrol duties from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“Adding more police on the streets concentrating in hotspot crime areas are our preventive and effective way to lessen street crimes,” Macaraeg said.
“To be more visible on the ground, especially in crime-prone areas and places of convergence, are our effective deterrents and would result to lowering the rate of serious crimes and of course we see to it that additional patrol duty will not affect their administrative function,” he added.
NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Felipe Natividad had required all office personnel from the police command districts, stations, sub-stations, and community precincts to perform patrol duties in a minimum of two hours.
He said all team leaders, supervisors and commanders must strictly supervise their personnel, and failure on their part to do so will mean their immediate relief form their posts.
Natividad warned that “three successive blunders from subordinate supervisors will sack even the chiefs of police.”