Senior Supt. Pedro Merced, Bacolod City police director, yesterday formed "Task Force Lawin", an anti-criminality task force that will identify and neutralize criminal gangs in the city.

"Task Force Lawin" is headed by newly promoted Supt. Roderick Augustos Alba and his deputy chief, Chief Insp. Calixto Mabugat. It aims to address aggressively street crimes in Bacolod City such as daylight robbery, snatching incidents and "Budol-budol gang" operations, Merced said.

"With the newly formed "Task Force Lawin" headed by Alba and Mabugat, I expect a drastic change in the present situation of the city in terms of crime prevention," Merced said.

Meanwhile, Alba said the responsibility given to him is very challenging because even before he and his companions graduated from the OSEC they had already heard of the rampant cases of street crimes in the city.

Criminality is not only the problem of the police, but also of the community, he said, so he is encouraging the public to cooperate, and never hesitate to call the police for information and assistance at Police Hotline 166 and Patrol 117.

Alba, Mabugat and four Bacolod police PCO's, including Supt. Edgar Esparagoza, Chief Inspectors Thomas Joseph Martir and Armando Tubongbanua, completed the nine-month Public Safety Officers Senior Executive Course at Camp Martin Delgado in Iloilo City recently.

Effective yesterday, Merced said Supt. Esparagoza will occupy his former post as BCPO deputy director for administration, while he named Chief Insp. Tubongbanua as new group director of the City Mobile Group, replacing Insp. Luisito Acebuche who was assigned as CMG deputy director.

Martir will be the new Intelligence and Investigation Branch officer-in-charge, replacing Insp. Rei Gumban who temporarily occupied the post, and will now concentrate on his job as the chief of the Bacolod Scene of Crime Operation, Merced said.

He said he expects the arrival of Supt. Leo Irwin Agpangan from the Negros Occidental Police Office and Supt. Pedrito Escarella from the Aklan Police Office to augment the personnel of the Bacolod police office.*DMG

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