Police to improve capabilities amid 'crime wave'

Even as it sought to downplay perceptions of a crime wave due to recent high-profile crimes, the Philippine National Police assured the public Friday it is taking steps to improve its anti-crime capability. PNP chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome said they particularly beefed up their efforts to thwart crimes involving motorcycle-riding "tandems." "We have noticed a rise in crimes involving men riding in tandem on motorcycles. Last week we started strengthening our campaign against this," he said in an interview on dzBB radio. While he did not give further details, he said they are beefing up police presence in potentially vulnerable areas. Bartolome also said they continue to look for possible weaknesses in their tactics. "We will try to improve some more," he said. Recent crimes involving "riding-in-tandem" criminals included the ambush-killing of Polytechnic University of the Philippines vice president Augustus Cezar. Earlier this month, men aboard a motorcycle gunned down Mila Dumaguit, a Makati City Hall employee. Last Saturday, Bartolome also warned of reshuffles in some police stations over the killings. “We may have to beef up our visibility and if necessary, replace some station commanders who are not performing as well as they are expected to," he said in an interview on dzBB radio last Saturday. On the other hand, Bartolome downplayed perceptions of a crime surge, saying statistics showed the number of crimes is still lower than during the same period last year. He did not mention figures, however. "Overall, the crime volume has gone down compared to previous years. But since some recent crimes are high-profile where robbers kill or hurt their victims, there is a perception of worsening crime and some will tend to think the crime rate has gone up," he said.— LBG, GMA News