Police Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO). | File photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – This early, the police in Cebu City have already started with their preparations for the Christmas celebration.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said they will especially focus their preparations on the need to secure banks and other financial institutions here against robbers and other criminals.
Macatangay said they do not want a repeat of the pawnshop robberies that happened in August.
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“That is the purpose why we are going to have a series of meetings with the intelligence community because we have learned so much from the previous incidents involving katong daku nga robbery… and we don’t want a repetition of that in the future,” she said.
“Dako kaayo og pagpangandam ang gibuhat nato in terms of, sa intelligence nga aspect, as well as the investigation. Because una sa tanan, kahibaw ta nga ang holiday season, labi na karong hinapos sa tuig, ting distribute na sa mga bonuses sa mga empleyado, both private and government,” Macatangay added.
Security plan
In the coming days, Macatangay said they will be holding a series of coordination meetings with other government agencies and their private sector partners to come up with an effective security plan that will be implemented until the Sinulog festival in January 2025.
Macatangay said that their security plan will include the need to monitor the movement of criminals who will be traveling to Cebu to take advantage of the Christmas season and Fiesta Señor crowd.
“Ang igo nga pagpangadam nga ang tawo aware sa mga posible nga pagsaka sa mga krimen nga kawat and robbery mahitungod ani. And also, paghatag og awareness sa pagpangandam nga dili sila mahitaboan sa in-ani nga mga klase sa opportunistic nga individuals,” Macatangay said.
Moreover, they will continue to intensify police visibility in crowded areas, which has been proven effective in crime deterrence.
“We are happy of the results and the feedback coming from the community that now they are seeing more police on the streets. And that is because we have taken a lot of time to study the traffic of people and as well as those areas that need gyud ang atoang police presence,” said Macatangay.