One of the front page items in yesterdays Manila Bulletin was that ARMED POLICEMEN CAN NOW CONDUCT FOOT PATROL IN MALLS, this one caught my attention as i thought why would they not be allowed to foot patrol in malls ? and more to the point when would they foot patrol in malls as i never see them foot patrolling anywhere else ? The one and only reason given in the article for the apparent banishment of the PNP was that in the past there had been cases of robbery where the suspects had posed as policemen....... SERIOUSLY you could not make this stuff up But anyway i feel safer already in the knowledge that the PNP will now be allowed in malls if they can be bothered.
I would have thought the reason they couldn't patrol would have been because it is private property. I can understand the need for the patrols though...but it is a slippery slope they are playing on. If they can "patrol" through this private property what's to stop them from patrolling other private business properties....and then patrolling through your private property...and then your house? How much personal freedom are you willing to give up in the name on safety?
