A mentally disturbed man entered the police camp unnoticed close to midnight and stole beverages in the Noy Honesto Coffee Shop, a self-service cafe in the Cebu Provincial Police Office.
For this incident, three police officers are being investigated for possible neglect of duty.
The three are under investigation for the July 18 theft in the CPPO in barangay Lahug, Cebu City.
Duty guards SPO1 Sean delos Reyes, PO2 Glendale Cabañero and the duty officer of the day Insp. Wendell Abellana are undergoing a pre-charge evaluation.
They already submitted their replies to the charge.
If the explanation is not satisfactory, they could be meted a 30-day suspension, said Supt. Brindo Nacario, CPPO Provincial Investigation and Detection Management Branch (PIDMB) officer-in- charge.
The theft took place at 11:30 p.m.
The suspect, 20-year-old Christopher Chan, who lives a few meters from the camp, was caught drinking beverages taken from the Noy Honesto Store.
Chan forced open the refrigerator and took a bottle of iced tea, a liter of softdrinks and a can of mango juice worth P83.
Investigation showed that Delos Reyes, who was supposed to guard the entrance of the camp, did not show up for his 4 p.m. to 12 midnight duty.
Cabanero, the outgoing officer, who worked from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., had to cover Delos Reyes’ shift. Cabanero was not able to notice Chan entering the camp.
Another police officer inside the camp discovered the burglary and arrested Chan.
Chan was brought to the Mabolo Police Station but was later released due to his mental condition.