Tagbilaran City’s top police official appealed to city barangay captains asking them to assign desk officers each night to assist rounded up minors who break curfew rules.

Officers posted in barangay help desks will be tasked to look for the parents of minors who are taken into police custody, said city police chief Superintendent George Vale.

It is possible that authorities will file cases against the parents for neglecting the safety of their children, he added.

Vale’s request was made after the strict implementation of curfew hours in the city which bans minors to roam the streets from 10pm to 5am.

The police chief also bared that minors are often being used to conduct illegal activities such as theft, house break-ins, and other crimes.

On Monday night, July 4, 2016, the police took into custody five loitering minors believed to be perpetrators of a series of thefts.

Vale admitted that the authorities are having difficulty in stamping out crimes committed by minors who, in certain cases, are exempt from criminal liability as stated in the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, which was amended by Republic Act 10630.

The city also currently does not have an adequate facility for erring minors who are rounded up by the police causing the said youth to continue committing crimes.

Vale pointed out that holding parents liable for neglecting the safety and wellbeing of their children would curb the delinquency problem. (with reports from Allen Doydora)