HPG-7 on tieup with private firms: This can help catch carnappers, owners of altered vehicles

Officials of the Highway Patrol Group sign a memorandum of agreement to address concerns on carnapping and altering of vehicles in the region.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Carnappers and owners, who alter their vehicles, beware because you may likely get caught by the Highway Patrol Group in Central Visayas (HPG-7).

Police Colonel Neil Francia, regional chief of HPG-7, gave this warning as the HPG-7 tapped private companies to help them in identifying stolen and altered vehicles.

Francia was referring to the partnership of the HPG-7 to BPCI Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Center and Preev Insurance Services, where the memorandum of agreement for the partnership was signed on Friday, Feb. 17.

He cited the benefits of the partnership with that the HPG-7 personnel could avail of free inspections services from the two firms.

Aside from that, these two firms particularly BPCI Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Center has better technology to determine whether something in the vehicle, which did not pass through the HPG-7, was altered or was carnapped.

The firm can then contact the HPG-7 and inform them about the vehicle in question.

 “Ganitong bagong technology, sa system na ito, malalaman kung may binago na hindi dumaan sa highway patrol. Kung may direct contact sa amin, tawag agad, pwede namin iimpound ang sasakyan. Paglabas pa lang dyan, pwede namin iimpound. Yun yung malaking tulong sa amin,” Francia said.

(With this new technology, in the system, we can determine if something in the vehicle was altered and this did not go through the highway patrol. If they have directo contact with us, they can just call us, and then we can impound the vehicle. When it will leave the center, we can really impound it. This is a big help to us.)

“Masisigurado ang HPG na lahat ng pumapasok na sasakyan dito, hindi chop-chop, hindi colorum,” said Raian Labandera BPCI officer-in-charge.

(The HPG can be sure that all that enters there, are not chop-chop, not colorum. )

The vehicle will go through three stages at the BPCI. The first stage includes identification, visual inspection, and under chasis inspection. After this stage, the vehicle will undergo the Stage 2, which covers inspection on side slip, suspension, brake and speedometer. Lastly, this will undergo the last stage which includes the emission test, sound meter, and headlight test.

The HPG-7 records at least four to five motor-napping incidents in the region every month. As they consider that carnapping and altered vehicles remain a minimal concern in the region, this agreement would still be a crucial step to address these problems.

READ:

Notorious ‘motornapper’ in Cebu City nabbed; 6 motorcycles recovered

Carnapping in Central Visayas remains ‘minimal,’ says HPG-7