Police official sacked over armored van heist

The commander of a police precinct that has jurisdiction over Pasig City’s commercial district was ordered relieved yesterday for his failure to intercept armed men who staged a daring armored van robbery at the Ortigas Center last Monday.

Chief Superintendent Oscar Valenzuela, director of the Eastern Police District (EPD), sacked Chief Inspector Jaime Cadatal of PCP 19 based in Barangay San Antonio pending investigation on possible lapses by his men in the robbery.

"He was relieved while the investigation on their lapses is ongoing to prevent suspicion of a whitewash," Valenzuela said.

The EPD chief said he wants to know where Cadatal’s men had been deployed and why they failed to engage the robbers, who pulled off the heist in less than three minutes.

Cadatal will be assigned on floating status at EPD headquarters. His replacement has not been named.

Under the Ortigas Shield program of the National Capital Region Police Office, motorcycle and bicycle-riding SWAT officers patrol the area daily while uniformed personnel from the elite Special Action Force pound the beat.

There were no policemen in sight when armed men robbed an armored van parked in front of a building on San Miguel Avenue at 10:10 a.m. last Monday. – Non Alquitran