Abella: Other police units respond to calls for assistance within its AOR

| Photo courtesy of PRO-7

CEBU CITY, Philippines –While police station 5 in Mandaue City remains under lockdown, personnel from other police stations in the city were tasked to respond to calls for assistance within its area of responsibility.

Police Colonel Jonathan Abella, director of the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO), said he has given instructions for other police units to help while the 11 personnel of the police station located in Barangay Centro remains isolated after one of its detainees tested positive for the coronavirus disease.

Read: Detainee with COVID-19 leads to Mandaue Police Station 5 lockdown

Abella said that augmentation will ensure that the lockdown will not hamper police operations in areas that are located within the heart of Mandaue City.

“Ang mo cover sa ilang area depende sa nearest nga station nalang para mo assist,” said Abella.

(Personnel from the nearest police station will have to respond to the alarm.)

Read: PRO-7 to plan for new normal in police operations

Station 5 was placed under lockdown starting on Thursday, June 11, after swab test results of one of its detainees showed that he was positive for the infection.

All the 11 police station personnel were already swabbed on Friday, June 12, and are now awaiting the release of their test results that is expected after four days.

If their test results will yield positive for the infection, Abella said that he will devise a plan on how they will manage the city’s peace and order situation in the absence of their COVID-positive personnel.  At the same time, his plan will have to include measures to make sure that the new set up will not also be a burden to his other operatives. / dcb