CCPO asks public to be vigilant

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) director Senior Supt. Royima Garma is asking the public to be vigilant in order to prevent crime following the series of robbery-slay cases in Metro Cebu.

Garma said CCPO does not have enough personnel to be deployed in every corner of the city.

The ideal ratio of police to population is one for every ten individuals.

However, CCPO only has 1,200 cops and Cebu City’s population as of 2015 is more than 900,000.

This means that one cop should cover at least 773 individuals.

To compensate, she directed all cops to intensify information dissemination by distributing leaflets with hotlines of police stations, conducting lectures on crime prevention, and installing tarpaulins in visible places.

“Kung marami lang kaming pulis, lalagyan naming every corner pero kahit ano gawin namin, hindi aabot sa sobrang laki and densely-populated ang area,” she said.

Garma asked the public to be cautious in wearing and bringing valuables.

She also encouraged the public to bring a pepper spray or heavy item that can be used to fight the robbers.

 “Do your share of crime prevention. Ikaw mismo, magbutang ka og proteksyon sa imo lawas. Simple tip lang po in going to public places, don’t use expensive jewelry because these will attract holdupper,” she said. — MBG (FREEMAN)