More police personnel will be deployed to patrol major roads amid several riding-in-tandem incidents reported in the recent weeks, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Sunday.
In Metro Manila, PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said PNP Chief P/General Rommel Francisco Marbil has ordered around 600 personnel previously performing administrative tasks in Camp Crame to be reassigned to patrol the roads to improve police response.
“In the recent days and weeks ay may mga naitala tayong na mga kaso ng riding-in-tandem na ang mga suspek ay doon sa pamamaril. Hindi lang ito limitado sa NCRPO (National Capital Region Police Office),” she said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.
(In the recent days and weeks, we have recorded cases of riding-in-tandem where the suspects were involved in shooting incidents. This is not just limited to NCRPO.)
“Kaya ipinag-utos na ng ating Chief PNP na dagdagan pa ang deployment ng ating mga tauhan sa mga pangunahing kalsada natin,” she added.
(Our PNP chief has ordered an increase in the deployment of our personnel on our main roads.)
On May 24, a Land Transportation Office (LTO) official was shot dead inside her van in Quezon City by an unidentified motorcycle-riding gunman.
Just last Wednesday, a 16-year-old graduating student was fatally shot outside a gym in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan. CCTV footage caught the suspects on a motorcycle driving up to the victim outside the gym. One of the riders approached the victim and shot him in the head before speeding away.
Fajardo said CCTV cameras have helped the police force in apprehending suspects involved in the recent riding-in-tandem incidents.
She said some police will be using motorcycles, while others will use bicycles to patrol areas within and outside Metro Manila.
Currently, Fajardo said that the PNP’s crime solution efficiency is at around 90%.
“Hindi na lamang probable cause ang gusto natin sa pagsasampa ng kaso kundi ‘yung reasonable certainty of conviction na po ‘yung ating hinahabol,” she added.
(What we want when filing a case is not just probable cause, but to obtain a reasonable certainty of conviction.)—Giselle Ombay/RF, GMA Integrated News
