Cops to escort released inmates home

CEBU, Philippines - Starting next week, the Cebu City Police Office will be escorting newly-released inmates from the city jail up to their respective homes.

This as the CCPO observed an increase in snatching, theft, and robbery cases with most of the criminals being repeat offenders, CCPO director Patrocinio Comendador said.

Comendador said the CCPO is fervent in securing the safety of the students that was why they came up with this plan when their records show that repeat offenders often carried out crimes during the reopening of classes.

He said they will coordinate with the personnel of the Cebu City Jail in Barangay Kalunasan in escorting the inmates the moment they step out from the jail up until they get home on board CCPO’s bust bus.

Comendador clarified that though they cannot force the inmate to ride on the bus if they opt to go home via another vehicle, but he pointed out that policemen will be sent to tail them.

The number of police personnel that will be sent to escort the inmates will depend on the volume of the released inmates, the CCPO director said.

“If naa’y mo-react, dili man ni para sa among kaugalingon; para man ni sa safety sa public. This will not make us rich. This will not make us popular. But this will make the people safer in the streets,” Comendador said.

Comendador said police will also monitor the released inmates until the situation in several educational institutions stabilizes.

“Along the way, we will give them (the released inmates) advice. This is just to see to it that nobody will be harmed along the way. We will also have personnel that will monitor them everyday,” he said.

With his three years as chief of the CCPO and as personnel of the Intelligence division of the Police Regional Office-7 before that, Comendador has assessed that incidents of snatching and other petty crimes consistently increase not just in the city but in all areas of the region during this season.

“Consistent g’yud na in all areas where magpundok ang mga tawo and that is until August, ‘nya mo-lie low na sad after kay padung na man sad sem-break,” Comendador explained.

Comendador said the CCPO is already prepared in terms of their security plans for the reopening of classes on the second week of June.

Aside from their usual deployment of police, the CCPO will also realign its mobile outposts from the pier area up to the downtown.

The CCPO, he said, will also maintain a close watch on street gangs that may harass the students and conduct intense operation against liquor selling and drinking especially by minors.

The CCPO, through their “adopt a school program”, also intends to support the less fortunate students by giving them school supplies.

Respective directors of the Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Cebu Provincial Police Office, during yesterday’s Talakayan Sa Isyung Pulis forum, have also claimed preparedness for the reopening of classes.(FREEMAN NEWS)