Police, malls tackle rising theft cases

Beefing up security measures was the topic of a meeting between  police  and  security officers of various malls in Cebu City to address the spate of thefts in commercial establishments.

For the months of June and July, 89 cases of thefts in malls were recorded in Cebu City.

This has affected the total crime volume in the city,  said Senior Supt. Valfre Tabian, deputy chief of the regional operations of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas.

He said the increase was  somewhat expected since June and July coincides with the opening of classes when families are pressed to pay for tuition , school supplies and other needs of their children.

Tabian  said most theft cases were perpetrated by “salisi” gangs who prey on shoppers.

Steps on how to prevent thefts were discussed in the meeting.

They discussed the need to strengthen the  use of closed circuit televisions (CCTVs), which has to be placed in strategic areas inside malls and have someone  assigned to monitor the video footage.

Continuous  patrols are also needed to respond to any untoward incident,   and employees have to be reminded to be vigilant,said Tabian.

Police also recommended  posting tips and reminders for customers on how to avoid  being victimized by thieves  and swindlers.

Security should focus on food courts and restaurants where thieves usually strike.

“The mall security personnel assured cooperation with the police. If there is a legitimate operation like responding to a crime report inside the mall, they agreed to give the police easy access,” said Tabian.

The meeting was also  part of the police’s preparation for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings.

In a separate interview, Edwin Layese, security manager of Ayala Center Cebu, said the dialog was a big help for those in the frontline.

He said they will coordinate with the police to prevent crimes in their premises.

“We will make sure that  (theft cases) will lessen,” said Layese.