BACOLOD CITY: The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) has deployed at least 135 additional personnel to beef up security operations during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Lt. Judesses Catalogo, public information officer of NOCPPO, on Friday said that under the Philippine National Police (PNP) Oplan Ligtas Paskuhan 2022, they aim to increase police presence to ensure public safety during the celebrations.
“Our personnel are in place on the ground. (But) we have observed there were so many people attending the Simbang Gabi (dawn masses) in the past days. The additional personnel are being deployed to preempt incidents,” he said.
Catalogo said the additional personnel have been assigned to various police stations and mobile force companies.
“They will augment the patrol beats and stations especially during Christmas and New Year,” he said.
The PNP has been on full alert status since Dec. 16, coinciding with the start of the nine-day Simbang Gabi.
In all localities, police assistance desks have been established near the church entrances to immediately attend to any emergency or untoward incident.
Police personnel also have a heightened presence in shopping malls, public markets, major thoroughfares, transportation hubs/terminals and other places of convergence.
In a statement, PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said police personnel should be visible so that if the need to response arises, they would be ready.
He said policemen are allowed to go on Christmas break, but they should be on call to report anytime if their services are needed.
“They should be ready, on call, anytime,” Azurin said.
Source: Philippines News Agency