Command conferences with chiefs of police in Bohol have been lined up by the Bohol Police Provincial Office to prepare for the heightened alert on the start of the nine morning masses next week up to Christmas Eve.

Catholic faithful are expected to flock to churches at dawn towards the Christmas eve for the traditional Misa de Gallo.  

The Philippine National Police maintains the three-tierred approach for crowd security wherein the first level targets for monitoring are the robbery gangs, shoplifters and terrorists.

Detection of explosive devices is the most complicated in the three-tierred approach.

The alert status in the entire province has actually started on Monday last week in line with the Christmas season.

The BPPO already increased police presence to pre-empt crimes upon the increase of the influx of people in public places like malls, churches, plaza that demands heightened security.

Seaports and the airport in Bohol have been under tight security throughout the year, except in some seaports where security equipment are yet to be installed.

The no-touch policy at the city airport also been observed even before the “Laglag Bala” controversy broke.

The BPPO also braces against possible spill over of robbery gangs and kidnap-for-ransom groups from other provinces.

So far, there is an assurance that no big-time robbery group has penetrated the region yet.

PSupt. Ricky Delelis, spokesperson of the BPPO, also advised the public to be careful and vigilant.

He also asked the public to help the intelligence gathering of the police by immediately reporting any suspicious individuals in their neighborhood.

On the other hand, the BPPO already started rounding up illegal sale of firecrackers on the streets.

There are designated areas to sell and use firecrackers, the BPPO reminds the public to ensure everyone’s safety.