‘Zero crime’ vs students, says MPD

The Manila Police District (MPD) has announced there have been no crime perpetrated against students in the first two weeks of classes in the city, primarily as a result of the security plan laid out by police and school authorities.

However, MPD director Chief Superintendent Pedro Bulaong emphasized that the initial report should not make the police complacent, but instead the anti-criminality operations should be stepped up in line with "Oplan Balik Paaralan."

Bulaong said the fielding of uniformed policemen for visibility, additional beat patrol cops and traffic decongestion are part of the security and contingency plan laid out for this school year.

He also lauded the cooperation of the Manila Association of School Security Officers (MASSO) and the Youth Patrol Service in providing security to students.

For the past two weeks, a total of 65 suspected criminals were rounded up by the 11 police stations, with cases ranging from robbery and holdup, cell phone snatching, slashing of bags and pickpocketing.

"These criminals usually prey on unsuspecting students. We will drive them out of the streets before they can victimize our people," Bulaong said.

The MPD has fielded some 700 policemen to monitor 255 schools in Manila. Bulaong said the MPD has divided the total number of schools into 45 clustered areas for easy monitoring.

To further improve the security program for students, Bulaong has reactivated assistance desks at school campuses, where students can air their complaints.

"These assistance desks shall be visited daily by police officers to act on the students’ complaints," the MPD chief said.

The assistance desks, which were initiated by the school campus security committee, has proven successful in protecting students against criminal gangs.

The school committee was introduced by Bulaong some four years ago when he first assumed the post of Manila police chief and when an exclusive school for girls was frequently being victimized by crime gangs. Since then the security situation in the school has improved, Bulaong said.