Murder, illegal drugs and vandalism.

These are some of the cases that newly-installed Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) director Colonel Joeresty Coronica will look into as he assumes command.

In a press conference yesterday, Coronica said he must first examine recent crimes in the city carefully, before he can craft a solution to maintain peace and order.

Coronica said he is doubling his time to conduct investigations into recent crimes, including a series of shooting incidents, theft and illegal drugs.

He directed the Criminal Investigation and Detection Management Unit and police station commanders to present case profiles on the two recent murder cases involving businessmen.

Earlier this week, a businessman was shot to death inside his vehicle in Bacolod’s Barangay Villamonte.

The BCPO chief also said they are still probing the case of individuals appearing to be Chinese nationals, who had been taking pictures of identification cards from Bacolodnons, in exchange for P400.

Coronica said that if there are rules that are not applicable for now, it is time to change them so that they can be implemented properly.

He will also assess the performance of the police station commanders before considering a possible reshuffling.

Earlier, Coronica said he has already devised a plan to tackle the cases, assuring Bacolodnons that he will put his strategies into action to make a significant impact.

He emphasized his commitment as the new city police director, saying he would work tirelessly to ensure security in the city.

Meanwhile, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez directed Coronica to focus on maintaining peace and order in the city.

Benitez assured that the security of Bacolodnons should be given priority.

As Coronica is also a native of Bacolod’s Barangay Mansilingan, Benitez believes that this is a big advantage in his leadership in the BCPO./WDJ