BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan urged the public to support whatever programs and projects that will be introduced by the new leadership of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) in order to sustain peace and order in the city.
The local chief executive made the appeal to the local residents and visitors to support the peace and order initiatives of Senior Superintendent George D. Daskeo, who was chosen by the 7-member Screening Committee as the new BCPO City Director after almost three years of vacuum in the leadership of the local police force.
“Peace and order is instrumental in attracting tourists to our city that is why it is important for us to fully support the local police force in making sure that our city will be a decent place to study, work, live and do business. Let us rally behind our local police force so that we will be able to contribute in improving our security and the tourism industry,” Domogan stressed.
Daskeo is currently awaiting his appointment papers as the permanent BCPO City Director from the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City after the Police Regional Office (PRO) in the Cordillera transmitted the recommendation made by the Screening Committee for his appointment as the next head of Baguio’s Finest.
The city mayor assured the BCPO leadership of the city’s continued support in the provision of adequate funds for the sustained implementation of peace and order initiatives that will continue to contribute in lowering the city crime rate in the coming months.
According to him, the crime volume in the city continuous to decrease while the crime solution efficiency of the local police force continues to improve that is why the city continues to remain one of the most peaceful places in the country. He also reminded the local police force not to be complacent as criminals can strike anytime that would make locals insecure and also taint a bad image of the city which depends to a significant degree on the robustness of the local tourism industry.
It was learned that from 91 crimes per week for 12 months since late 2014 till late 2015, before it dropped to 76 crimes per week during the early part of this year and then further dropped to 42 crimes per week during the months of May and June.
He rallied local residents to immediately report to the nearest police station any untoward incident that is happening or that is about to happen in their neighborhood to help the local police force deter crimes.
Daskeo opined that the local police force cannot do crime prevention alone thus the need for cooperation of the citizens to serve as a warning for lawless elements that they have no place in the city, thus, they must shape up or ship out.
As the country’s Summer Capital, Domogan asserted that the local police force must be consistent in the equal implementation of existing laws, rules and regulations for local residents and visitors alike so that tourists will be able to spread the word among friends and relatives that Baguio City is still the best place to spend a well-deserved break from the scorching heat of the lowlands./Dexter A. See
