BAGUIO CITY – The newly-installed commander of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) Station No. 7 disclosed that the local police force will sustain the police visibility in the city’s central business district to help deter the commission of crimes that pose a serious threat to the prevailing peace and order situation in the country’s undisputed Summer Capital.
Chief Inspector Eddie Bagto, BCPO Station No. 7, described his new assignment to be ‘very challenging’ because of the peculiar situation in the central business district area considering the presence of numerous people transacting business with business establishments and government offices.
“We have to deal with people who come from all walks of life so we have to employ various anti-crime and peacekeeping initiatives to help sustain the peace and order situation in the city considering as the central business district is the show window of the city,” Bagto stressed.
The police official points out one of the areas of concentration of the city’s personnel is in the different parts of the public market because of the numerous business establishments and people transacting business there, as well as the presence of a good number of night spots whose operations have to be monitored for them to comply with the prescribed closing time of their operations.
He claimed there are some owners of night spots who continue to defy their mandated closing time but police personnel continue to remind them of their obligation to abide with the ordinance of the city to help contribute in efforts of reducing the commission of liquor-related incidents, especially in the central business district area.
Bagto claimed that law enforcers are also aggressive in the implementation of existing city ordinances governing the law and order, illegal parking, anti-smoking, anti-smoke belching, among others, to help instill discipline among residents and visitors.
He claimed BCPO Station No. 7 has a total personnel of 81 serving in two shifts to maintain peace and order situation within their jurisdiction.
Aside from their enhanced anti-criminality and peacekeeping initiatives, Bagto said police personnel also help ensure smooth traffic by providing augmentation to personnel of the BCPO traffic management branch, especially during rush hours, to allow public utility jeepneys to have speedy round about to load the passengers.
He appealed to the different sectors of the city to cooperate with the stringent implementation of the various anti-criminality and peacekeeping efforts of the local police force because law enforcers cannot achieve the success of their programs and projects without the cooperation of the residents and tourists.
Bagto was assigned in various police stations in the conflict-stricken province of Abra before being assigned to the tourist police unit and Station No. 1 of the BCPO before being assigned as chief of Station No. 7.
By Dexter A. See