Police chief wants more officers on field, fewer within HQ

Focus more on crime prevention rather than crime solution.

Newly-installed Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Royina Garma gave this order yesterday, saying she wants more police officers in the stations rather than in their headquarters.

“What I’m doing is recalling police officers detailed to other offices and downloading personnel from the headquarters so they can be placed in police station and there will be more police officers on the ground,” she said.

Of the 300 personnel in the headquarters, she is planning to assign 200 to beef up the police stations’ forces.

“We will strengthen our police stations because they’re the ones on the ground, they’re the ones in the community. They should be equipped, and not have have enough sa human resources. Kung meron ba silang kakayahan to move and to communicate, yun yung i-aaddress natin diyan (Whether they have the means to move and communicate, that is what we will address),” she said.

Garma said she also gave directives to the station commanders to address the concern Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña raised about noisy karaoke machines.

“Enforce the city ordinance. Study and strictly follow the restrictions and implementing rules and regulations so that the ordinance can be properly enforced,” she said.

Cebu City Ordinance 1940 regulates noise pollution, which includes singing along to roadside karaoke machines after 7 p.m.

Garma advised the police to give a stern warning to those who continue to operate their karaokes at full blast.

“Give warnings para sumunod sila (so they will follow). Kung talagang mo-insist dakpon gud nato (If they insist, arrest them),” she said.