Police presence makes tourists feel safe in Baguio — BCPO

“Our city is lucky to have numerous police personnel roaming its streets.”

This was the assertion of P/Lt.Col. Domingo Gambican, Baguio City Police Office’s (BCPO) chief of operations, during a media forum, Sept. 27, at the City Hall multi-purpose hall.

Gambican disclosed that several visitors to the Summer Capital informed him that compared to other places they have visited, they feel ‘safe’ here because of the presence of Baguio’s Finest.

“Solving crime incidents or other issues should be a shared responsibility between the police and the community. Without the community’s cooperation, the police will not be able to implement whatever is needed to be implemented for the public’s protection and safety,” he stressed.

Based on the BCPO’s analysis of crime incidents in the city, Gambican claimed that at present, the occurrence of crime incidents at the central business district (CBD) area have reportedly decreased or has been ‘prevented’.

They noticed, however, that criminal incidents have slightly increased outside the CBD and shifted to the city’s outskirts pushing the BCPO to increase mobile patrol visibility in these outlying areas, he said.

The police official is appealing to the public to immediately report any suspicious individuals or activities in their respective barangays to the nearest police station so that these matters can be dealt with   appropriately.

Gambican also stressed the importance of police visibility in crime deterrence and that they are there to “serve and protect” the public. – Gaby B. Keith