By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The local Indian community in Bacolod City expressed its satisfaction with the current police presence in the city, despite the rise of robbery incidents back in September of this year.
In an interview yesterday at the Bacolod City Government Center, local Indian group Punjabi Khalsa Diwan President Malkit Singh said they are happy with the security provided by the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO).
“It is relatively safe now compared [to] the past, when there [were] a lot of reported hold-ups,” he said.
The Indian community, alongside those working in the call center industry, are often targets for local robbery gangs and thieves.
However, Singh added, there is still room for improvement to fully eliminate the problem in the city.
Earlier this year, the city was plagued by a rising number of robbery incidents.
The incidents pushed Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) director, Police Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag, to relieve then-BCPO acting director, Police Senior Superintendent Jack Wanky, citing the “fear of criminality” was too serious.
Wanky was replaced by Police Superintendent Rhoderick Minong, a member of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF)./WDJ