EDITORIAL - Before they impose a longer curfew

Police in Cebu City said they are okay with the proposal to impose curfew for minors an hour earlier to make sure the underage don’t fall into bad influences.

Currently the curfew for minors is from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Police want it moved to start at 9 p.m. but with special consideration for children coming home from night classes.

We don’t disagree with an earlier curfew for minors to keep them out of trouble or to minimize their exposure to criminal elements. The last thing we want is for some children to become the next generation of criminals after learning the tricks of the nefarious trade at night.

However, we are pointing out that before the authorities impose an even longer curfew they better be sure they can implement it, because as it stands right now they are already facing challenges implementing this current 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew.

Any adult who is coming home from a late shift will have become used to the sight of underage kids roaming the streets way past their bedtime. The sight of these kids without guardians and without a valid reason to be out and about is still common even in downtown and uptown Cebu City.

It sometimes gets worse; they sniff industrial glue within sight of everyone passing by, then they get emboldened enough to engage, confront, or even harass pedestrians. Then there are those who form gangs to fight each other.

If this is happening in the downtown and uptown areas we can only imagine how it is in interior areas and crowded neighborhoods where police don’t usually go.

The city police as well as force multipliers like the barangay police and tanods already have their hands full implementing the 10 p.m. curfew. Starting curfew an hour earlier means they have to work even longer or spread their forces even wider if they are covering areas by rotation.

If they want to impose a longer curfew for minors then they have to be prepared to effectively implement it.