The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) has formed a task force to address the recent proliferation of vandalism, which is prohibited by City Ordinance 534.

Colonel Noel Aliño, city police director, said yesterday they have been directed by Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez to strictly implement the ordinance as more vandalism on walls of commercial establishments has been monitored around the city.

“I issued an order to all BCPO operatives on this. Those who are able to arrest the vandals will receive a monetary reward,” he added.

Aliño assigned Lt. Colonel Lester Leada as the anti-vandalism task force’s overall supervisor and Lt. Greeky Cayao as the team leader.

The members include the chiefs and personnel of the 10 police stations, Bacolod City Mobile Force Company, Mobile Patrol Unit and Traffic Enforcement Unit.

Aliño said during the task force’s first online meeting, they discussed the salient provisions of City Ordinance 534, measures to be implemented, identification and filing of cases against vandals, and monitoring of interventions and accomplishments.

“This is the BCPO’s anti-vandalism program or intervention,” he added.

The BCPO chief said they will also tap the assistance of the community of LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning and more) under the “Bacolod (B)-PLUS” initiative.

“We will identify the vandalized places and start a clean-up. These will be painted by the group from the LGBTQ+,” he added.

Benitez’s spokesperson, Singcang-Airport village chief Caesar Distrito, said personnel of the city’s Department of Social Services and Development, Public Order and Safety Office and Bacolod Traffic Authority Office as well as the Department of the Interior and Local Government and Department of Public Works and Highways will also coordinate with the task force.

Based on DSSD data, most of the vandals in the city are minors. (PNA)