Criminals eyeing to go home this Christmas monitored

CEBU, Philippines – It may not be a merry one for fugitives planning to go home for Christmas.

Police have warned that they will use the season to heighten their monitoring on criminals who have been in hiding but are planning to spend time with their families back home this Christmas.

The Police Regional Office in Central Visayas has intensified the intelligence monitoring in the hopes of catching those who have been evading the long arms of the law, its director, Brigadier General Valeriano De Leon, told reporters yesterday.

“Criminals go home. So it is the best time to arrest people, those who are not in the area for the longest time. So we will intensify our intelligence monitoring,” De Leon said.

As for police personnel who will be using their firearms during the break not for official use, the PRO-7 chief also has a warning: he will immediately order their dismissal.

De Leon stressed that policemen are strongly discouraged from indiscriminately firing during the season’s revelries.

He has tasked the provincial police directors to make sure that this order is complied with.

“Hindi lang si RD ang laging nag di-dismiss. Dapat sila (provincial directors) rin. We will give them the power to implement the disciplinary authorities and in so far that their powers are concerned,” De Leon said.

To make sure that security measures are always in place, he said that police should observe strictly the personnel-on-duty guidelines.

If only to ensure that peace and order is maintained, he told his men to take turns in manning their respective jurisdictions.

“They have to be in the station so they can attend to the needs of the community,” De Leon said.

Meanwhile, just like in the past, the police will enforce laws and ordinances on the use of illegal firecrackers during the celebrations.

“All those consumers, we urge them to light their fireworks in their respective residences and those that are not allowed will be lighted in the designated firecrackers’ area,” he said. /JMD (FREEMAN)