Police authorities have banned the wearing of caps inside malls as a preventive measure against robberies, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said yesterday.
When you go shopping next time at your favorite mall, don't be surprised if the security guard on duty will tell you to remove your cap.
Signboards against the wearing of caps will be displayed at the entrances while security guards will strictly enforce the ban in a polite manner.
In a media interview, NCRPO chief Carmelo Valmoria said, “From now on, the wearing of caps would be banned in malls. Those wearing it would be advised to take it off and place or keep them inside their bags or in their pockets,”
The new policy was arrived at from a series of meetings with mall operators and security managers in Metro Manila, Valmoria said emphasizing that the move is to enhance security in malls and prevent robberies like the one committed at SM North EDSA two Sundays ago.
It was observed that robbers wear caps to prevent closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras from capturing their images.
Just recently, armed robbers attacked SM North Edsa where a jewelry store inside the department store was robbed of about P5 million worth of jewelry, and about P50,000 worth of cash in another robbery inside an establishment in SM Mall of Asia.
In January 2013, robbers also attacked the jewelry store inside SM Megamall.
Both robberies involved armed men using hammers to smash the showcase displays of the stores. The CCTV cameras got clear shots of the robbers – with caps shielding their faces, Valmoria said.
Previously, Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II has already banned the purchase of hammers in malls. Customers may be allowed to buy hammers but they can only claim them at designated claim corners near the malls’ exits.