Congratulations are in order for the police personnel and the other law enforcers for the successful arrest of a suspect and the recovery of about P7-million worth of jewelry taken in a daytime pawnshop robbery in Dumaguete City last week.
After taking a beating over the several unsolved daring heists, coupled with some unsolved killings in Dumaguete in the past few months, the police appear to have redeemed themselves with this one single act.
This time, the police, with the assistance of the local government unit, had an anti-crime plan that actually worked!
Forewarned is forearmed, they say. Perhaps the biggest mistake made by the criminals was that they struck when the police were on full alert. It was a busy week for everyone, and many things were going on at the same time in Dumaguete.
The criminals must have thought there were too many distractions for our police but thankfully, our police were focused on their mission to keep the City safe and free from criminal elements.
The radio stations that covered the ongoing pursuit operations should also be commended because they informed the public of what they needed to know at the precise time.
With full knowledge of the crime that was taking place, the civilians became “lookouts”, and reported anything suspicious to the radio stations and to the police operatives.
In the end, the criminals, who are believed to come from the Pagadian-Ozamiz area, lost heavily in this operation. They got nothing from Dumaguete, and even lost their Toyota Revo SUV, two motorcycles, and high powered firearms; and one of them, believed to be the leader, was captured. Alive.
The robbers may not want to come back, given the police’s state of readiness. But that should not lull us into complacency. Instead, let this positive and proactive performance continue.
