City’s top cop banks on visibility to curb crimes

By Jennifer P. Rendon 

Is the age-old strategy of heightened police visibility the answer to Iloilo City’s street crimes?

Apparently so for Police Colonel Eric Dampal, Iloilo City police chief, as he vowed to send more policemen on the streets when asked on how Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) would go about street crimes such as theft incidents.

Even when he officially assumed post on Feb. 20, Dampal also cited the importance of police visibility even in killings involving motorcycle-riding suspects (MRS).

On Monday, he again scored the importance of police visibility, amid the riding-in-tandem incident that claimed the life of an alleged civilian asset on March 5, 2020.

He underscored the deployment of more personnel to areas frequented by the public.

Dampal was said to have personally supervised the deployment of personnel – from beat patrollers to cops assigned at mobile patrols.

He said that police visibility would always be a good crime prevention strategy.

While ICPO has limited vehicles to do mobile patrols, Dampal said they’re doing their best to cover Iloilo City.

That’s why, “I encourage our kababayans to assist us, help us doon sa areas that we could not cover. Konti lang kami and we need your support,” he said.

The city’s top cop has urged the populace to report incidents that concern peace and order.

He also mulled of plans of talking to Sangguniang Panlungsod ex-officio member Irene Ong, president of the Liga ng mga Barangays in Iloilo City, in a bid to work with village officials in ICPO’s anti-criminality efforts.