Espino: Law enforcement should be a ‘last recourse’

National Crime Prevention Week, which runs from September 1 to 7, was recently launched at the Negros Occidental Multipurpose gym.
Police Regional Office-6 director, Police Brigadier General Rene Pamuspusan, addressed the event and said crime prevention and crime solutions do not rely on the competence and dedication of police alone.
“Every peace-loving member of the community must lift a finger to thwart crimes from happening or find a solution and serve justice to victims,” he urged. “Peace and order is everybody’s business.”
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office director, Police Colonel Romeo Baleros, reiterated three of Pamuspusan’s marching orders, namely sustain reformation, internal cleansing through mentoring and developing leaders, and pro-active and smart policing.
Bacolod City Councilor Al Espino, who chairs the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Police, said law enforcement should be a “last recourse.”
“We can not put everything in the hands of our law enforcement officers,” the city official explained. “Our communities should participate in [the] reporting of what happens in the puroks, barangays, and in our homes.”
National Crime Prevention Week came about via Presidential Proclamation No. 461, signed by then-President Fidel V. Ramos in 1994.
“There is a vital need to focus public attention on the importance of crime prevention,” the order stated. “The observance of National Crime Prevention Week will generate community awareness and appreciation of the importance and value of crime prevention, and foster interest and participation of the general public.”/DGB, WDJ