MANILA -- Operatives of the Southern Police District (SPD) have arrested 85 persons and seized 90 firearms since the start of the election gun ban last month.
In a report to the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Wednesday, SPD director, Chief Supt. Eliseo Cruz, said Parañaque City has the highest number of apprehensions with 23 persons, followed by Makati (19); Taguig (15); Las Piñas, four; and two in the town of Pateros.
The SPD Chief said that all apprehended persons were already charged criminally before the Department of Justice while the recovered guns and other items were brought to the respective police stations to form part as evidence against the suspects.
Cruz said the recovered guns were mostly .38 caliber revolvers, 12-gauge shotguns, .45-caliber pistols, 9-mm pistols and .22-caliber revolvers while 28 gun replicas were also confiscated.
Apart from firearms confiscation, the authorities also recovered several plastic sachets of shabu and drug paraphernalia used in sniffing the drugs during the police operations, he said.
For his part, NCRPO chief, Director Guillermo Eleazar commended SPD for its simultaneous police operations which focuses more on Illegal firearms through the implementation of search warrants, checkpoints, Oplan Sita and other anti-criminal activities in identified hot spots within its jurisdiction.
"We congratulate the SPD under the leadership of its District Director Eliseo Cruz for his initiative of an all-out drive against crime in the Southern Metropolis area following the start of election ban on Jan. 13," said Eleazar.
Eleazar assured the NCRPO will be relentless in its drive to maintain the peace, order and security in the entire Metro Manila area during the election period.
"We will not allow those who seek to sow terror in our communities. We will arrest those who defy the law and commit atrocities against the people and bring them to the bar of justice and make them accountable for their crime," the Metro Manila top cop said.
Eleazar called on the general public to help and cooperate with the authorities by reporting information that could lead to the apprehension and prosecution of those involved in various criminal activities. (PNA)
