Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella meets with different station commanders and mall representatives to discuss means on how to beef up mall security following the daring heist of a Mandaue City mall, Saturday night, October 19, 2019. | Gerard Vincent Francisco
CEBU CITY, Philippines — It is not enough for commercial establishments to put up closed circuit televisions (CCTVs).
Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said that someone should also be assigned to monitor CCTV recordings real-time as a means to deter criminality.
“The CCTVs are used to identify the suspects when the crime happens, but it is not being used to prevent crimes from happening. They should monitor the CCTVs carefully,” Labella said in an interview after a meeting this morning, October 22, 2019, with the different station commanders of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) and mall representatives.
Labella called for the meeting to beef up security in commercial establishments in the city following the daring heist of four jewelry stores and a money changer shop located at the ground floor of the J Center Mall in Mandaue City.
The meeting was called a day after Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes also met with the city’s station commanders and mall representatives.
Read More: Mayor Cortes, police, mall owners meet, discuss malls’ security measures
In this morning’s meeting , Labella raised an observation on the presence of CCTVs in most, if not all, of the commercial establishments that operate in the city.
However, he said, only the bigger malls like SM City Cebu, Ayala Mall and Robinsons Galleria monitor their CCTVs real-time.
All the rest, he said, only review their CCTV recordings after a crime was committed.
Labella said that real-time monitoring of CCTV recordings will help the mall’s security personnel detect the presence of criminal elements who may have gained entry into their premises and immediately go after them.
Read More: Following daring heist in JCentre Mall, Mayor Cortes tells establishments to beef up security
As for the police, Labella said that he will be asking Police Colonel Gemma Vinluan, CCPO director, to augment the existing police force assigned in heavily congested areas like the vicinity of the police stations located in Barangays Mabolo, Talamban, Carbon, and Parian and the Waterfront area.
“We will ask Colonel Vinluan to augment the forces if possible in these areas,” the mayor said.
Labella said that augmentation will address a concern which stations commanders coming from the five police stations raised on their lack of personnel to patrol the vicinity of malls that are located in their areas of jurisdiction.
If they will have the needed manpower, station commanders made a commitment that they will do constant street patrols in these areas to ensure immediate response during the commission of crimes.
Read More: PB Ouano wants ordinance requiring all businesses in Cebu to hire security guards
At City Hall, Labella said that they will be adopting the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the city’s monitoring system before the year ends.
This will include the installation of additional CCTVs especially in major thoroughfares to monitor traffic and the possible occurrence of crimes 24-hours a day.
Commercial establishments may also be allowed to tap the city’s monitoring system to enhance their perimeter security.
The AI’s capabilities will include an analysis of people’s action to immediately spot traffic violators who are planning to commit violations like jaywalking, over speeding, and beating the red light among others. It will also provide a clear recording of events to help traffic enforcers identify the faces of the traffic violators.
The system will also automatically alert concerned agencies like the city’s police department in the event of crime occurrences. / dcb