No texting, smoking for city cops on beat

By Ramon Dacawi

New Baguio police chief, Sr. Supt. Jesus Cambay Jr., launched Wednesday with mayor Mauricio Domogan an 11-point code he had formulated and announced upon his assumption last Sept. 3 as guidepost of all members of the force under his tour of duty.

           

Under Rule 5 of the credo of sorts that the chief titled “simple things the Baguio City Police shall do for the City”, members of Baguio’s Finest shall observe traffic rules and regulations that they have been imposing on citizens yet sometimes violate.

           

Likewise, residents can expect police officers to smile and be courteous at all times, to respond promptly to all emergency cases, to do their best to fight all kinds of crimes, be neat, and to keep their offices and patrol cars clean.

           

At the launching at the Burnham Park station, the police officers also vowed to respect senior citizens, women, children and persons with disabilities.  Simply, too, the men and women of the force “shall enforce anti-littering and waste management ordinances”, as Cambay ordered upon his installation.

           

Residents would no longer see police officers smoke in public places, do cellphone texting or put their hands in their pockets while walking the beat.

           

To these “Simple Things”, Cambay added five sub-points for officers on mobile patrol. These are topped by a reiteration of Rule 5: “I shall not violate traffic rules and regulations except during extreme emergencies”.

           

At night, all patrol cars will have their blinkers on, while those not on mobile shall be parked at strategic visibility points.

           

Likewise, beat and mobile patrols will coordinate with barangay officials, purok leaders and the Barangay Police Action Teams (BPATS) being created and expanded to strengthen community partnership in peace and order maintenance.

           

Members of the force will no longer exercise what used to be a simple yet classic act of arrogance of power by those on patrol cars or motorcycles.

           

They swore not to obstruct traffic.

           

In return, citizens led by members of the transport group headed by DionyItliong also launched five-point guidepost titled  “simple things I (as citizen) can do to help the Baguio City Police Office”:

           

“I shall respect the police, soldiers, jail officers, firemen and persons in authority; obey traffic rules and regulations, obey the anti-littering and waste management laws and ordinances, help disseminate emergency contact numbers of the police, and to report crimes, including violations of ordinances on waste management and traffic.”

           

Together with the “Simple Things”, the police force has also printed a four-page pamphlet on crime prevention tips focusing on deterring robbery, carnapping, snatching and pick-pocketing, security of residences and family, office and business establishments and community policing, including phone numbers to call for police assistance.

           

Police office information officer, Insp. Viyo Hidalgo, concurrently head of the tourism police arm, said the new police chief personally prepared the code the moment he was informed of his selection as city police director.

           

“What’s good here is that by immediately coming up with this code of conduct, the new police director hit the ground running,” Hidalgo added.

           

In his message at the launching, mayor Domogan noted a dip in the volume of crimes as per the latest police report.

           

He said this is reflective of the strengthening of police-citizen partnership through the neighborhood policing system.

           

In his talk with the senior officers last Monday, the mayor asked the force to strengthen monitoring and prevention of garbage from other areas being dumped into the barangay trash collection centers.

           

As did his immediate predecessor, then OIC-city director, Senior Supt. Roberto Soriano, Cambay directed officers to help barangays regularly monitor the proper segregation and disposal of household garbage as a normal part of the work of Baguio’s Finest.