OWNERS of hotels, inns and lodging houses were told to exercise vigilance to protect their customers and themselves from criminals and terrorists in the coming holidays next month and through Sinulog in January next year.
Insp. Maria Macatangay, Fuente Police Precinct chief, said on the sidelines of yesterday’s stakeholders dialogue between police and hotel owners that they need public support to deal with criminal and terrorist elements.
“We need to get the support of the community to make our work more effective,” she said.
Macatangay said public support along with force multipliers like tanods and volunteers help make the work easier for the police.
SPO4 Fe Altubar of the Cebu City police’s Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB) said theft cases are prevalent during late October and they expect more as the holiday season goes into full swing in December. Altubar said robbers have targeted ATM users of late.
She also said pension houses, inns and motels are more likely to house terrorists than hotels without them even knowing it until it’s too late.
Altubar said it’s important for these establishments to set up security cameras to monitor those coming and leaving.