BACOLOD CITY (PIA) – Law enforcement authorities spare no alleyways in their patrols and efforts to boost police presence in this highly-urbanized city.
Lt.Col. Lester Leada, deputy director for operations of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), said that apart from convergence areas and business districts, police officers patrol even the smallest alleyways under the initiative called “Operation Bulabog.”
“Strategy ini siya namon sa mga slum area, wherein ang aton mga police naga-conduct sang police presence sa mga sulod-sulod. We are conducting this in coordination sa mga barangay naton,” Leada said.
(This is our strategy in the slum areas, wherein police officers conduct patrols in the city’s back streets. We conduct this in coordination with the barangays.)
The official added that Operation Bulabog, involving several police units, intends to intensify police presence, particularly in slum areas, thwart the emergence of criminality there, and build trust between the police and its residents.
“Ang station nga [may jurisdiction] sa ina nga area, sila gid ang lead unit. Gina-support sila sang aton SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics), mobile patrol, intelligence, kag traffic [units],” he clarified.
(The station which has jurisdiction over a particular area, they are the lead unit. They are provided with support from SWAT, mobile patrol, intelligence, and traffic units.)
Through Operation Bulabog, Leada noted that the local police force has apprehended wanted persons, especially with the support of community members who immediately report to authorities the presence of suspicious individuals or those known to be in hiding.
“Naglapit ang [balatyagon] sang mga pumuluyo sa aton kay we are not only there para maglakat-lakat. Naga-interact man ang pulis naton, nagapangamusta [sa ila],” the official emphasized.
(People in these areas have grown fond of our police officers because we are not only there to patrol but to interact with the residents.)
In the implementation of Operation Bulabog, the BCPO has two schemes – regular, or the usual police patrols, and focused operations, particularly on areas affiliated with illegal drugs.
With the intensified police presence in communities under Operation Bulabog, BCPO warns that no possible hiding spot will be turned upside down by the local police force to capture criminals and bring them to justice. (AGP/BPS/ Negros Occidental)
