CEBU, Philippines - Close to 300 wanted criminals, including 26 most wanted persons in Central Visayas, have been arrested by the Police Regional Office-7 since January this year.
PRO-7 reported a 53.19-percent compliance of the lower units in its target to capture at least 47 most wanted persons this year.
“We are now half of our target even if we are still at the first quarter of the year. We are on the right track,†said Senior Inspector Mark Gifter Sucalit of the Regional Intelligence Division-7.
Out of the 26 most wanted persons arrested, seven were in Cebu province, seven from Bohol, four in Negros Oriental, two in Siquijor, three in Cebu City, two in Mandaue City, and one in Lapu-Lapu City.
PRO-7 director Chief Supt. Danilo Constantino said that the arrests were made through intelligence-driven operations and the information given by the public.
For 2014, PRO-7 has identified 775 most wanted persons across the region as target for arrests of the lower units in Central Visayas.
Among the seven lower police units in the region, Cebu Provincial Police Office ranked first with 150 percent compliance. This is followed by Mandaue City Police Office and Negros Oriental Provincial Office with 100 percent and 80 percent compliance rates, respectively. Cebu City Police Office placed on the sixth notch with 33.33 percent compliance.
Sucalit said that in 2012, PRO-7 was able to arrest one person with reward in the person of Rodrigo Labitad who had four counts of murder with attempted homicide.
In the same year, they were able to arrest nine most wanted persons recommended for reward and 973 persons with warrant of arrest with a total of 984 wanted personalities arrested for the entire year.
Last year, PRO-7 was able to arrest a total of 915 wanted criminal elements, five persons captured with reward, four most wanted persons recommended for reward, and 915 persons with warrant of arrest.
For the last two years, the regional police force arrested 1,899 wanted personalities of which six persons were captured with reward, 13 wanted persons recommended for reward, and 1,879 persons with warrant of arrest.
Sucalit explained that RID-7 has implemented a weekly monitoring system for the compliance on the arrest of most wanted persons as one of the target setting initiatives of PRO-7 and as one of the management tools in assessing the operational accomplishments of the lower police units.
He said that the lower units are directed to come up with a list of their most wanted persons that is in conformity with the criteria set by the head office.
Regional Investigation Detective Management Division-7 chief, Sr. Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, said that PRO-7 is 109 percent compliant at present in terms of the arrest of the wanted persons in the region aside from the most wanted persons.
He said that as of January 2014, there are a total of 558 wanted persons in Central Visayas including the most wanted persons.
To date, they have already arrested 276 wanted persons, surpassing the five-percent target as of this period which is equal to only 253 wanted persons.
CPPO deputy provincial director for operations, Supt. Anthony Bagarinao, said that they have arrested 105 wanted persons in the first two months of 2014 and 1,387 wanted persons for the last two years. — (FREEMAN)