The newly installed Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) director ordered the local police force to spend more time outside the police station and increase personnel visibility as part of his first directives as the province’s highest ranking policeman.
According to Senior Superintendent Angeles Geñorga, he visited several police stations of the province and noticed that many police officers are inside the precincts but personnel are rarely seen conducting patrols in the streets.
Police visibility is crucial in launching quick response to distress calls and other emergencies while it is likely to deter lawless elements from committing crime, he said.
Earlier, former Police Regional Office 7 director Chief Supt. Mario Espino, who was recently relieved from his post, also focused on the continuous deployment of police personnel in the streets and key locations throughout Central Visayas.
Geñorga reminded Bohol police officers to maintain adherence to Espino’s ABCD program or Always Busy Catching Criminals, Drug Lords, Pushers and Users.
The BPPO chief also called on local police forces to focus on the crackdown against criminal groups as he announced his EFGH initiative, which stands for Effectively Fight Gangsters and Hoodlums.
According to Geñorga, gangs and other criminal organizations are likely the sources of drugs and the driving force behind the proliferation of narcotics trade in the province. (ad)