Community support vital to crime prevention, says PNP

Tacloban City (September 1) — Community involvement is a vital ingredient in crime prevention. It is communities which have proven to be the catalyst for much of the work on crime prevention. As they are the ones who are most directly affected by crime, it is logical that they should be involved.

This was emphasized by Philippine National Police Region 8 Community Relations Chief and Spokesman Colonel Manuel Cubillo during the Media Forum on Crime Prevention held at the Harampang Ha PIA at Gerry’s Grill Tacloban, recently.

The police cannot be everywhere, Col. Cubillo said, because the number of policemen is small compared to the number of citizens who needs to be protected. The police rely on the support of the community, he said, to report to the police any unnatural happenings or the presence of unidentified persons in the community.

The value of helping people who are in need cannot be over-emphasized. The good Samaritan in each and everyone should be reincarnated. The community should be ready to help when their fellowmen is being victimized, even just by reporting to the police authorities. If there is no report, the police cannot respond.

Atty. Danilo Rosillo of Napolcom said that there are three elements which must be present so that a crime could be committed. First, there must be the opportunity to commit the crime. The community should not give the unscrupulous people the opportunity to commit a crime by being vigilant, he said.

Another element is instrumentality which refers to the firearm, deadly weapon that is used in committing the crime. The third element is motive to commit the crime which may either be for personal gain or revenge.

If one of the three elements is missing, a crime cannot be committed, Atty. Rosillo said. Theft and robbery are committed most often because of the negligence of the victims. In other words, they gave the criminals the opportunity to perpetrate the crime.

Crime prevention should be the lookout of the family and the community. There is a need to upgrade the security in the case of the business establishments. There should also be an increased awareness on detection of criminals.

The observance of the first week of September as the National Crime Prevention Week was started in 1994 through Presidential proclamation No. 461.

Now, in its 16th year, the celebration’s theme focuses on bringing together bonds between and among the police and other sectors of the community which result to maximum community participation in the government’s anti-criminality campaign particularly in strengthening of the role of the police in harnessing community participation in crime prevention for an improved socio-economic development.

The celebration also helps create a secure and safe community environment through sustained and reinvigorated community-based crime prevention programs and inculcate in the hearts and minds of police officers, especially new police the importance of nurturing a good leader in implementing programs that are beneficial to the community.

Various activities were lined up for the week-long celebration in the Region in order to achieve its theme “Komunidad at Pulisya, Magkasama sa Pag-Unlad ng Bayan” and this year’s slogan: “Ako, ikaw, Tayong Lahat, Laban sa Krimen.” (PIA