Mayor Celso Lobregat has called on police and military authorities to do everything possible to quell the spate of shooting incidents in the Mampang-Arena Blanco area, the latest of which was night time April 28.

Lobregat has expressed concern that the incidents take place despite stringent security measures implemented in the area. ?I was telling (City Police OIC Director) Col. De Ocampo we already placed a mobile police station and we augmented police personnel in the area and even the members of the Task Force Zamboanga were the ones victimized?.

When the latest shooting incident broke out last Wednesday night, Lobregat immediately conferred with Col. De Ocampo and Col. Santiago Baluyot of Task Force Zamboanga to tackle the cause or causes of the unabated incidents in the area.

The chief executive has scheduled another conference with the two officers, the barangay officials in the area in a bid to come up with more stringent actions to stop similar incidences in the future. ?We will discuss what else is needed to fully resolve the problem?.

A total of 102 police personnel were downloaded from the regional police office to augment troops in the City Police middle of this month, as a security measure to help resolve the spate of shooting incidents. Mampang, Arena Blanco and Talon-talon areas were given priorities in the deployment of the additional police personnel because most of the incidents occurred in those areas. A mobile police station was also set up.

But even as he acknowledged the deployment of the additional forces in the area, Mayor Lobregat said the police also cannot also be in every square inch of Mampang, Arena Blanco and Talon-talon.

Police authorities have found most of the shooting incidents to be motivated by personal feuds and that they require the assistance and cooperation of the civilians.

When the shooting incident happened Wednesday night, operation of land transportation was temporarily suspended prompting Mayor Lobregat to order the deployment of other vehicles to ferry stranded passengers to the Mampang and Arena Blanco area.

Mayor Lobregat said the city government is providing all the necessary support and assistance to the police and the military to help improve public safety. Just last Thursday, the mayor turned over to the local police 150 hand held radio units and 30 others to the City Fire District.

Last month, the city also donated 150 firearms to the local police, still in line with the city?s aggressive support to the police.