20 February 2012
“Get ‘em”: Davao Mayor’s marching orders after deadly robbery
DAVAO CITY—Mayor Sara Duterte ordered police officials to pursue all leads and catch the perpetrators responsible for the brutal slaying of 23-year old nurse, Marjorie Kwan last Saturday February 18.
“Immediately” was the Mayor’s answer when asked of her timetable for the case to be solved.
“We condole with the family of Miss Marjorie Kwan, we take full responsibility for what happened because it is the duty of the DCPO (Davao City Police Office) and the city government to ensure peace and order,” the Mayor said during a press conference held Monday at the City Hall.
Kwan was robbed early morning while on the way home from hospital duty. She was shot to death while resisting the bike-riding robbers.
Citing the killing as a very unfortunate incident and should not be tolerated, the Mayor said that crime has marred the record of Davao City as a peaceful city.
Duterte said that isolated incidents such as Kwan’s killing tend to be sensationalized. But she said this should not erase or take away the efforts of the Davao City Police office in improving the crime solution in the city.
Emphasizing that she doesn’t intend to downplay the recent crime, she said that the police are making headway with more arrests and lower registered crimes.
“Kada adlaw nay madakpan and there was one day zero ang pangawat (Everyday, someone is arrested and there was one day with no case of theft),” the mayor said.
Asked for the solution for petty crimes like burglaries and robberies, the mayor said it is the police who will answer that. “Usually they say that it is police visibility that is why we have the anti-crime unit,” Duterte said.
The Davao City Anti-Crime unit is made up of police auxiliaries that would assist the regular policemen in patrolling and maintaining increase police visibility.
Duterte cited that the ideal cop to civilian ratio is 1 is to 500; Davao City currently has about 1 policemen for 1,200 people. “The PNP (Philippine National Police) cannot add more policemen, we support them thru the anti-crime unit,” the mayor said. (PIA)
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