More cops to be deployed for Lent

CEBU, Philippines — In preparation for the Lenten season, the police provincial headquarters will be deploying most of its personnel in tourist spots, bus stations, churches and other convergence points.

Senior Superintendent Edgar Alan Okubo, director of Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO), said that police stations are directed to put up police assistance desks in strategic locations where both foreign and local tourist gather.

“For the coming Lenten season, we will be activating our police assistance desks, and then deployment of converging points, tourist spots, bus stations, lahat ng mga nagco-converge na tao. We will be deploying 7 percent of personnel from police stations,” Okubo said.

He added that they have started holding weekly meetings with the barangay representatives for force multipliers and they are also tapping Task Force Cebu from the Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command.

Okubo said that last year, CPPO deployed additional personnel from the headquarters to secure Bantayan Island in the northern part of Cebu because of the influx of tourists.

However, this year, they have not received any request for augmentation of security personnel from the local government units in the island.

He added that every Lenten season, most people leave their houses which make them prone to burglary.

To address the concern, he will be studying the need to augment forces from the Cebu City Police Officer Theft and Robbery Section.

Before the actual deployment of personnel, he will have command conference to finalize all details. —MBG (FREEMAN)