Police Colonel Henry Biñas, director of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), ordered all station commanders to temporarily stop the arrest of offenders of “minor crimes” to prevent possible exposure of officers to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID)-19.
Biñas, however, clarified that it does not mean that police officers will be lax in their anti-criminality campaign.
Minor offenses included illegal gambling like card games, bug-oy, cara y cruz, slight physical injuries, small theft incidents, among others, he said.
Biñas said they will continue to hunt down gamblers, but it only means they will not detain arrested persons at the police stations, but will file the appropriate charges against them through regular filing.
“This is for the safety of our policemen,” Biñas said, adding that this is not a normal time to have lots of contact with people due to the global health crisis.
He said anti-illegal drug operations will continue amid the pandemic.
(Glazyl Masculino via The Daily Guardian , photo by The Daily Guardian)
