Mandaue police chief: More ‘motorcycle stops’ to deter motorcycle-riding criminals

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police will implement “motorcycle stops,” more checkpoints and foot patrols in Mandaue City as deterrents to motorcycle-riding robbers especially during the holiday season.

Police Colonel Jonathan Abella, Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) chief, said that these would be the measures that they would implement after the robbery incident in Barangay Maguikay on December 12, 2019.

Read more: Police down two robbery suspects, arrest cohort in Mandaue City

Abella said that motorcycle stops would be like mini-checkpoints done by at least two police officers who would focus on specifically flagging motorcycle riders at random areas in Mandaue City.

He said these “motorcycle stops” would  be a way to arrest and warn motorists, who disobeyed traffic rules.

“Mao ni pinakamadali nga preventive measures kay ang motor (motorcycle) stop pwede lang duha ka police,” said Abella.

(The motor (motorcycle) stop is the easiest way of preventive measure as it only requires two police officers.)

According to Abella flagging motorcycles was their backup action plan whenever they would be unable to conduct checkpoints.

He said most of their successful arrests originally started in the checkpoints where they were able to intercept escaping robbers and drug personalities.

Aside from the motorcycle stops, Abella also ordered police stations to implement more police visibility in the streets by conducting more foot patrols together with barangay tanods.

He said that this would be a way to assure residents about the security measures they were implementing to discourage criminals from acting out their plans.

Aside from that he said he would constantly monitor police stations to find out of any new faces in the barangays, since they had been wary of any possible arrival of notorious robbers from other regions during the holiday season.

He said the death of two motorcycle-riding robbers, who were killed in a shootout with police officers on December 12, 2019 in M. Ceniza Street in Barangay Maguikay, would hopefully lessen the robbery incidents under their jurisdiction.

A third member of the motorcycle-riding robbery group was arrested after the shootout.

Abella said they were still investigating if the group had other members or it was just the three of them.

He said that they would implement these security measures to ensure the safety of the public during the Misa de Gallo and the holiday season. | dbs