President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and now Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go at the 24th Annual Convention of the National Federation of Motorcycle Clubs of the Philippines in 2018. RICHARD MADELO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
President Rodrigo Duterte is considering buying motorcycles for policemen to improve their mobility in addressing street crimes.
Since the government started easing quarantine restrictions and more businesses opened, there has been an “upsurge” in street crimes being committed, he said.
“I really intend to go hard within the last two years of my term pati itong mga kriminal. We’ve seen an upsurge of holdups and street crimes again because of the liberality being offered by the opening of the economy and of course, people are now allowed to roam freely and to travel,” he said in a meeting with Cabinet officials.
Duterte said apprehending street criminals was a tough task given how easily they can maneuver in traffic situations.
“This is very hard to control. I understand the nightmare the police are facing, how to control the mobility of the criminal right after committing a crime. Kasi ang motor kasi magzi-zigzag lang ‘yan, in and out of traffic situations and they can really get away with it easily,” he explained.
Duterte, a motorcycle enthusiast, floated the idea of providing cops with motorcycles so they can go after criminals more easily.
“If we can train the Highway Patrol (group) and train about siguro in one class, 30. We have to increase the mobile capacity ng police at saka we can buy motorcycles, ‘yung mahaba, one that can negotiate any obstacle, the ordinary obstacles that you find in the streets,” he said.
“It’s not just a matter of knowing how to ride a bike or a motorcycle for that matter. Dito sa motorsiklo, you have to, the one that keeps the, I’m sure everybody knows this, is really the body, the rear portion, puwet. Kailangan pag-aralan ‘yan,” he added.
Motorcycle-riding police will be deployed incognito.
Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, commander of the Joint Task Force Covid Shield, reported ib September that the crime rate amid the Covid-19 pandemic dropped significantly.
The 31,661 crimes recorded from Sept. 15, 2019 to March 16, 2020 decreased to 16,879 from March 17 to Sept. 16, 2020.
Of the crimes committed in the six-month spans, motorcycle theft saw the steepest reduction from 2,013 cases pre-lockdown to 693. John Ezekiel J. Hirro