ILOILO – Sustained police manhunt operations amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis in the province yielded a total of 1,031 wanted persons from January to December last year.
Based on the records of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO), the arrest of 1,031 wanted individuals was 30 percent higher than those made in the same period of 2019 when only 790 were arrested.
Out of the total arrested individuals, 176 belonged to the Top 10 most wanted persons list in their respective areas.
Municipal police stations with the highest number of arrested persons from January to December 2020 were the municipal police station of Oton with 50, Ajuy with 49 and Cabatuan with 44.
With this achievement, Police Colonel Gilbert Gorero, IPPO director, urged field commanders to further step up their operations against fugitives.
“There is no letting up in our efforts to run after them,” Gorero said.
Meanwhile, in the campaign against loose firearms, Gorero said their year-long operations led to the confiscation of 491 guns and arrest of 161 individuals.
With 76, the municipal police station of Sara posted the most number of surrendered loosed firearms, followed by Lambunao police station with 45, Janiuay police station and Lemery police station with 30 each.
Gorero said owners of these loose firearms “made a wise decision” to surrender their guns and dodge possible criminal charges.
“Our police officers are committed to account and recover loose firearms, you better surrender or deposit them,” Gorero added./PN
