Cops note drop in crimes by men using motorbikes

Cebu - Police records show that crimes perpetrated by motorcycle-riding criminals in the region decreased from 36 percent of the crime volume for the month of September last year down to 17 percent in December.

Sr. Supt. Arturo Evangelista, Chief of the Regional Investigation and Detection Management Division of the Police Regional Office said that the preventive measures undertaken by the Task Force Motorsiklo have been effective as this has deterred motorcycle-riding criminals to continue their criminal activities.

Statistics showed that in September, crimes perpetrated by men on motorcycles accounted for 36 percent of the crime volume, but this went down to 28 percent in October and further down to 27 percent in November then finally 17 percent in December.

In early September last year, the TFM was created and activated to pursue a more concentrated and intensified drive against motorcycle-riding criminals. It was reported that the region, particularly Cebu, had the highest incidence of crimes perpetrated by men on motorcycles.

Provincial and city police stations within Metro Cebu were required to submit a weekly checkpoint plan and the names of the duty officers to determine the effectiveness of the checkpoints.

Evangelista claimed that aside from checkpoint operations, saturation drives and intelligence operations were likewise implemented.

The PRO-7 official said the TFM is working on a photo-capturing mechanism involving the drivers of motorcycles to improve the police rogue’s gallery database.

Meanwhile, the PNP ranked as the 6th best performing government agency in 2008 and achieved a high 49-percent approval rating according to various surveys.

For this year, the PNP will concentrate on dealing with the concerns of PNP personnel and enhancing the security measures in Mindanao. — Niña Chrismae G. Sumacot (with reports from PIA-7) (THE FREEMAN)