By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) here tapped financial institutions, bankers, delivery van owners, and pawnshops to address the rise in theft and robbery cases in the province.
Police Lieutenant Judesses Catalogo, public information officer of Nocppo, said a Joint Anti-Bank Robbery Action Committee (Jabrac) was recently formed to discuss some measures to prevent these incidents.
Catalogo said that August saw the most number of robbery cases at 43. Most of the victims were personnel of delivery vans who were collecting sales from sari-sari stores.
But he noted that only 13 of the 43 robbery cases last month are still under investigation because of the unwillingness of the victims to cooperate with the police.
Catalogo pointed out that August has the most number of robbery cases because of the province’s economic situation.
August falls within the so-called tiempo muerto or dead season, a period between the planting and harvesting of sugarcane when most farm laborers are out of work.
“Unfortunately, it results in criminality because there’s no source of income,” he said. If the sugar milling season opens, crimes against property will lessen, he added.
Catalogo said that despite the increase in robbery cases, it was properly addressed based on crime solution efficiency since cases were filed against the identified perpetrators.
Catalogo said that they have also deployed some police officers in strategic areas, especially in areas identified by police stations where most robbery cases and victimizing of delivery vans were prevalent.
He also said that through their intelligence unit, they were able to monitor the movement of criminals who are just waiting for opportunities to commit a crime.
