THE Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) is on heightened alert status, in preparation for the New Year celebration.
Police Regional Director, Chief Supt. Debold Sinas said that the police in the province of Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor are on heightened alert status while Negros Oriental is on full alert status.
“Same sa Christmas, no New Year’s break din tayo. Lahat naka alerto,” said Sinas.
(Same as the Christmas celebration, we do not have a New Year’s break. We are on alert.)
Areas under heightened alert means that police officers would have to stay in their respective police stations for the duration of the holidays.
There will be no augmentation of forces and all personnel in their respective offices will be deployed.
In areas under full alert, there will be an augmentation of forces in police stations and those on leave would be recalled back to their respective posts.
Sinas said that they are hopeful that there will be fewer victims of any New Year-related incidents like firecrackers or indiscriminate firing.
However, they are expecting more firecracker victims in New Year as compared to Christmas because more people use firecrackers during New Year.
Meanwhile, Supt. Janette Rafter, information officer of Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO), said that more men from their headquarters were deployed to the different police stations in the province as directed by the provincial director.
“Naa tay personnel dinhi sa PHQ (Provincial Headquarters) augmented sa mga vulnerable stations,” said Rafter.
(We have personnel here in PHQ who were sent to augment the forces in vulnerable police stations.)
Rafter said that they have identified areas that are vulnerable during holidays.
“Atong gitan-aw ang mga previous security or mga attacks although dugay na nahitabo, we don’t just trust the situation. So we have Carmen, Tabuelan, Sibonga among others,” said Rafter.
Aside from augmenting certain police stations, Rafter said that they are also securing the entry and exit points in the province.