PNP
anti-crime ops net 422 MWPs in Caraga
BUTUAN
CITY -- At least 422 Most Wanted Persons (MWPs) in Caraga Region were nabbed
during the regular conduct of the Simultaneous Anti-Criminality Law Enforcement
Operations (SACLEO).
Cabinet
secretary and the regional Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and
Security (CORDS) Karlo Nograles said Thursday, September 30, during the Duterte
Legacy Campaign - Barangayanihan Caravan held in Cabadbaran City, that at
least 422 MWPs were nabbed during the regular implementation of the one-day
SACLEO in Caraga Region.
This
also led to the arrest of 1,395 suspects, of which 144 are members of renowned
communist-terrorist groups (CTGs) and 829 Other Wanted Persons and confiscation
and/or turn-over of 601 assorted firearms and 157 explosives and other explosive
components.
The
CORDS also reported that Lingkod Bayan Advocacy Groups, which support the
government’s ongoing campaign against communist insurgency and extremist
terrorism, has now amassed a membership of 334,855 individuals, including the
youth.
These
groups include the Kabataan Kontra Droga at Terorismo (KKDAT) to empower the
youth with knowledge on the ill-effects of illegal drugs and the deceitful
tactics of the CTGs; the Joint Industrial Peace Concerns Office (JIPCO) which
serves as the first line of defense from radical labor infiltration in the
labor force and industrial zones; the force multipliers who are volunteers that
provide the PNP with information or beef up the number of policemen out on
patrol; and the barangay-based organizations comprised of the Barangay
Development Councils, Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils, Barangay Peace and
Order Committees and other barangay organizations.
“With
the whole-of-nation approach being championed during the Duterte
administration, the government has created ways for the community to be more
involved in sustaining peace and order, hence the creation of these advocacy
groups and force multipliers,” he added.
Despite
the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, Philippine National Police (PNP)-Caraga
was able to conduct 19,792 Barangayanihan activities regionwide. The
Barangayanihan is the government’s initiative to bridge the country’s police
forces and the community.
“These
efforts, coupled with the strategic deployment of PNP personnel across the
region, resulted in the decline of crime incidents which created drastic
improvements in peace and order in Caraga,” CabSec. Nograles said.
(DMNR/PIA-Caraga)