BAGUIO CITY, Philippines - The city government here has already released at least P7.6 million as assistance to the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) which was instrumental in strengthening their peacekeeping, anti-criminality and anti-terrorism activities in its areas of jurisdiction. Senior Supt. David Q. Lacdan, BCPO director, said the assistance extended by the local government to the Baguio's Finest was utilized to boost the mobility of the policemen so that they will be able to immediately respond to calls for help in the city's 128 villages. Initially, the city government released P5 million for the law enforcement agency's maintenance and other operating expenses and was followed by another P2.6 million for its gasoline allocation and the repair and maintenance of its patrol cars and motorcycles being used in the conduct of their routine patrol operations.
Lacdan said that the substantial assistance being extended by the local government to its local police force has greatly helped in improving their performance in increasing their crime solution efficiency from 12.6 percent to 19.9 percent in just three months. Moreover, he cited that despite the challenges that hound their operations, particularly the significant increase in robbery cases, policemen are able to ensure that the city is still generally peaceful and still a good place to spend a break from the extreme heat prevailing in the lowlands. According to Lacdan, BCPO is one of the luckiest police offices nationwide because of the overwhelming support being extended by the city government. (Dexter A. See)
