Police, mall officials beef up security after Greenbelt 5 heist

Police and mall officials agreed on Wednesday to beef up security around commercial establishments following Sunday’s brazen noon-time heist in a Rolex outlet inside Greenbelt 5, one of Makati City’s posh shopping malls. Police Director Roberto Rosales, Metro Manila police chief, has directed police district directors to double the number of beat and mobile patrols around commercial establishments to enhance police visibility and ward off criminal groups, a police statement said. Rosales made the commitment in a “security symposium" with around 240 mall security managers, who also agreed to the conduct of regular security drills that will be carried out jointly by police and private security guards to better prepare them against possible attacks. Police will also provide “timely intelligence information" to security officials regarding any possible threat to commercial establishments, Rosales said.

During the symposium at the Market! Market! mall in Taguig City, the Metro Manila police chief also appealed to commercial establishments’ security officials to help draft the standard operating procedures (SOPs) in handling crime incidents inside malls and other such establishments. Rosales said security guards’ and police officers’ actions regarding cases of armed robbery, shooting, or hostage-taking should always be well-coordinated. Police Senior Supt. Billy Beltran, chief of the NCRPO’s Intelligence Division, noted that equipment such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and alarm systems are crucial in dealing with crimes inside commercial establishments. The symposium took place days after at least six robbers posing as police officers went inside a Rolex store in Greenbelt 5. One of the robbers was killed in a shooting incident that followed after the security detail of Taguig Mayor Freddie Tinga, who was dining at the mall with his family at the time of the incident, realized that the robbers were only posing as policemen. [See: Police identify group behind Greenbelt 5 robbery] While no Rolex watch was stolen, the rest of the robbers were able to flee and cart away about P3 to P4 million worth of Tudor watches, police said. A fact-finding body has been formed to probe the heist. [See: Fact-finding body to probe Greenbelt 5 heist] - GMANews.TV