MAKATI, Philippines – A 24-hour scheme with policemen and traffic enforcers doing joint patrols was launched on Friday to protect on night workers, especially call center agents, from criminals in the Makati Business District.
The scheme involves Integrated Patrol and Commuters Safety Zones – that is, 15 integrated patrols and five commuter safety zones set up along the main thoroughfares of the city.
"This project is designed to protect employees and commuters, especially those working during night and graveyard shift against criminal elements such as snatching and robbery-holdup gangs," Makati Police Chief Supt. Gilbert Cruz said in an interview during the launching.
Also present at the launching were the Southern Police District (SPD) director, Chief Superintendent Luizo Ticman; the director of the Makati Public Safety Assistance (MAPSA), Hermenegildo San Miguel; and representatives from the business community.
Faster response
Patrols in those areas will now be able to respond faster to any emergency.
"Our response to crimes will now be faster since MAPSA will no longer have to call for police assistance should the need arise because the police is already there with them in their regular patrol duties,” Cruz said.
MAPSA chief San Miguel said a policeman on beat patrol will be accompanied by at least two MAPSA personnel.
San Miguel added the joint patrols would also respond to traffic accidents and other similar incidents in their respective localities.
As of April 2008, Makati has the most number of business process outsourcing (BPO) firms at 146 and call centers at 72, according to the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP).
Next is Pasig City with 73 BPO companies and 44 call centers and Quezon City with 63 BPO centers and 34 call center companies.
Blind spots
Despite low crime rate reported in the city, Cruz said authorities are focusing on "blind spots," where incidents, especially petty crimes, happen but are not reported to the police by the victims.
"We admit that there are cases especially those perpetrated against night-shift workers such as snatching that do not get reported because the victim want to do away with the hassle, since they just want to rest after work," Cruz said.
The integrated patrol centers are in the following areas:
• Guadalupe and Loyola Memorial Chapel on EDSA
• Paseo de Roxas and Gil Puyat Avenues
• Makati Avenue and J.P. Rizal Street
• Ayala and Gil Puyat Avenues
• Gil Puyat and Chino Roces (Pasong Tamo) Avenues
• Makati and Gil Puyat Avenues
• Gil Puyat Avenue and Osmeña Highway
• Ayala and Paseo de Roxas Avenues
• Ayala Avenue and Hotel Drive
• J.P. Rizal Street and Sampaguita-Comembo
• Makati and Paseo de Roxas Avenues
• Chino Roces Avenue and Arnaiz Street (Pasay Road)
• Gil Puyat Avenue and Bautista Street
• Makati and Ayala Avenues
• Chino Roces Avenue up to Mantrade at EDSA
The five commuter safety zones are in the following areas:
• Gil Puyat and Chino Roces Avenues
• Ayala and Gil Puyat Avenues
• Makati and Gil Puyat Avenues
• Gil Puyat and Osmeña Highway
• 6750 at Ayala Avenue
Alarmed by recent crimes
Last July, unidentified thieves robbed 13 call center agents on board a passenger bus on their way to work along EDSA-Makati.
The robbers immediately got off at Gil Puyat Avenue, carting away undetermined amount of cash and valuable things.
Earlier, the Makati police appealed to call center companies and other businesses operating at night to beef up their security because criminals had shifted to victimizing night-shift workers.
"Though there is still no major case of robbery in call centers in Makati City, we would just like to warn the different call center companies and their agents that robbers are on the hunt for them," Cruz said.
The advisory was made after robbers victimized a call center company located in a mall in Cainta, Rizal, last month.
To avert these kinds of incident, Cruz said he had already notified different Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies and call centers in Makati for them to implement a much stricter security measures to thwart robbers from executing their operations.
"Why should we wait for tomorrow? It is better for us to warn them at this early stage so that they can come up with a more stringent security policy. In the end, everybody will benefit from it," he said.
Representatives from the business community and security agencies lauded the project and said that it would go a long way in making the community safe from criminal elements. - GMANews.TV
Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/112401/Makati-launches-24-hour-police-traffic-patrols-in-business-areas
The scheme involves Integrated Patrol and Commuters Safety Zones – that is, 15 integrated patrols and five commuter safety zones set up along the main thoroughfares of the city.
"This project is designed to protect employees and commuters, especially those working during night and graveyard shift against criminal elements such as snatching and robbery-holdup gangs," Makati Police Chief Supt. Gilbert Cruz said in an interview during the launching.
Also present at the launching were the Southern Police District (SPD) director, Chief Superintendent Luizo Ticman; the director of the Makati Public Safety Assistance (MAPSA), Hermenegildo San Miguel; and representatives from the business community.
Faster response
Patrols in those areas will now be able to respond faster to any emergency.
"Our response to crimes will now be faster since MAPSA will no longer have to call for police assistance should the need arise because the police is already there with them in their regular patrol duties,” Cruz said.
MAPSA chief San Miguel said a policeman on beat patrol will be accompanied by at least two MAPSA personnel.
San Miguel added the joint patrols would also respond to traffic accidents and other similar incidents in their respective localities.
As of April 2008, Makati has the most number of business process outsourcing (BPO) firms at 146 and call centers at 72, according to the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP).
Next is Pasig City with 73 BPO companies and 44 call centers and Quezon City with 63 BPO centers and 34 call center companies.
Blind spots
Despite low crime rate reported in the city, Cruz said authorities are focusing on "blind spots," where incidents, especially petty crimes, happen but are not reported to the police by the victims.
"We admit that there are cases especially those perpetrated against night-shift workers such as snatching that do not get reported because the victim want to do away with the hassle, since they just want to rest after work," Cruz said.
The integrated patrol centers are in the following areas:
• Guadalupe and Loyola Memorial Chapel on EDSA
• Paseo de Roxas and Gil Puyat Avenues
• Makati Avenue and J.P. Rizal Street
• Ayala and Gil Puyat Avenues
• Gil Puyat and Chino Roces (Pasong Tamo) Avenues
• Makati and Gil Puyat Avenues
• Gil Puyat Avenue and Osmeña Highway
• Ayala and Paseo de Roxas Avenues
• Ayala Avenue and Hotel Drive
• J.P. Rizal Street and Sampaguita-Comembo
• Makati and Paseo de Roxas Avenues
• Chino Roces Avenue and Arnaiz Street (Pasay Road)
• Gil Puyat Avenue and Bautista Street
• Makati and Ayala Avenues
• Chino Roces Avenue up to Mantrade at EDSA
The five commuter safety zones are in the following areas:
• Gil Puyat and Chino Roces Avenues
• Ayala and Gil Puyat Avenues
• Makati and Gil Puyat Avenues
• Gil Puyat and Osmeña Highway
• 6750 at Ayala Avenue
Alarmed by recent crimes
Last July, unidentified thieves robbed 13 call center agents on board a passenger bus on their way to work along EDSA-Makati.
The robbers immediately got off at Gil Puyat Avenue, carting away undetermined amount of cash and valuable things.
Earlier, the Makati police appealed to call center companies and other businesses operating at night to beef up their security because criminals had shifted to victimizing night-shift workers.
"Though there is still no major case of robbery in call centers in Makati City, we would just like to warn the different call center companies and their agents that robbers are on the hunt for them," Cruz said.
The advisory was made after robbers victimized a call center company located in a mall in Cainta, Rizal, last month.
To avert these kinds of incident, Cruz said he had already notified different Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies and call centers in Makati for them to implement a much stricter security measures to thwart robbers from executing their operations.
"Why should we wait for tomorrow? It is better for us to warn them at this early stage so that they can come up with a more stringent security policy. In the end, everybody will benefit from it," he said.
Representatives from the business community and security agencies lauded the project and said that it would go a long way in making the community safe from criminal elements. - GMANews.TV
Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/112401/Makati-launches-24-hour-police-traffic-patrols-in-business-areas
