Better prepared than sorry

To raise the bar in the campaign against criminality, the Cebu City government is appropriating at least P15 million for the creation of a bomb squad to enhance the operational capability of the city police force.

According to Arnel Tancinco, Mayor Tomas Osmeña's executive assistant, the funds will be used for the purchase of various police equipment such as vehicles for the bomb squad, which the city is eyeing to form next year.

The city police only have the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team and Tancinco, head of the city's peace and order program, told the City Council during a public hearing last week that Osmeña really wanted the city to have its own bomb squad.

Well, it's good that Osmeña has finally moved to give the police more teeth in their anti-crime drive. Having a bomb squad means the police will not only be more capable in responding to any bomb threat as it would also give their image a boost in terms of competence.

For a city that is the center of everything outside Metro Manila, Cebu City should have long acquired a bomb squad. Its huge population and its being a highly-urbanized city should have merited it a world-class police force.

Although Cebu City has never had any bomb attack, its authorities should brace for any eventuality considering the fact that it is just a boat ride away from the troubled Mindanao rocked by bomb explosions for decades.

With all the tension presently dominating down south, it is better to be prepared than sorry. That is why it is high time for the Cebu City Police Office to operate a unit that would properly respond to bomb incidents.

Equipping the police with modern equipment has become a necessity in these times when terrorism knows no boundaries. Therefore, having a bomb squad is just one aspect that authorities must embrace.