EDITORIAL - Fighting crime is a daily crusade

The regional police leadership is intensifying police visibility this year in its effort to heighten the campaign against criminality. The new PRO-7 director recently made this announcement as he wants the police to continue patrolling the streets to deter crimes.

Aside from an improved police presence, the PRO-7 leadership is also aiming to step up operations against illegal drugs across Central Visayas. Last year saw syndicates taking a huge blow from police raids, which netted millions worth of illegal drugs.

What the public is seeing now is that the new police regional director is clearly following in the footsteps of his predecessor. It was former PRO-7 director Prudencio Tom Bañas who revolutionized the drive against criminality, sending more policemen to the streets and ordering more operations against illegal drugs.

Good thing the new police leadership in the region has continued to implement Bañas' programs. The campaign is far from over, however. And there is still a lot to be done if we are to win the battle.

Fighting crime is a daily crusade. And it's the task of the authorities to be vigilant against those wanting to pull off their illegal activities. Yes crimes do occur because perpetrators see an opportunity to commit them in the absence of security.

But you cannot defeat criminality by just telling syndicates that their days are already numbered. Defeating crimes crucially involves police presence in the streets and in other busy areas.

That is why police visibility is very important in the campaign. Colon Street in Cebu City, for instance, used to be a haven for snatchers, robbers and other criminal elements. But when authorities started to deploy more policemen in the area, the crime rate along the country's oldest national road significantly dropped.

As Cebu City gears up for the annual Fiesta Señor activities and the International Eucharistic Congress of the Catholic Church, there is really a need to send more cops to the streets. Heightened police visibility around the city is even more important now that thousands of visitors have started to arrive.