Cops with guns in malls to wear IDs
Malls and hotels in Cebu City may soon issue identification cards (ID) to police officers and civilians who want to carry their firearms inside their establishments.
In his news conference yesterday, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said the issuance of IDs was one of the suggestions that came up after he met with the heads of the security departments of malls and hotels in the city last Monday.
“I told them to think about it and come back in another meeting but generally speaking, I’m trying to make it easy for them. My recommendation is that they will issue the ID to the person who can carry a firearm. They will have to apply for it at the hotel and monitor it from there. Same thing with malls,” he said.
The meeting came after he issued a directive to allow police officers, whether uniformed or in plainclothes, and those with permits to carry firearms outside residence (PTCFOR), to carry their firearms in public areas like hotels and malls. This followed the incident in Resorts World Manila.
Police officers and civilians with PTCFOR will help in the security of malls and hotels.
To upgrade the skills of their security personnel, Osmeña said the City wanted to spend for marksmanship trainings for their blue guards.
But the mayor said it will be useless now since the PNP recently ordered security agencies to turn over their high-powered firearms for safekeeping.
The development is in compliance with the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to prohibit the security agencies from using high-powered firearms.
Security guards are limited to using shotguns and handguns.
“I offered to pay or subsidize the payment of the training of the security guards on how to shoot. But there’s a problem. The PNP has stopped the sale of ammunition. No one is authorized to sell ammunition,” Osmeña said.