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Police help just a text message away in Marikina(Philippine Daily Inquirer Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) DO YOU WANT TO REPORT A CRIME but fear for your safety? If you live in Marikina, you can just grab your cell phone and text the information to the police, said Supt. Sotero Ramos, city police chief. The citys Text MCF Hotline 2960 has been operational in the last three years. It started as a venue for residents to send their complaints about government services but has now evolved into an anticrime tool, Ramos said. Case solved due to text The other night, police arrested Dindo Fernandez in Bocaue, Bulacan more than a year after he allegedly carted away P105,000 from the Xander Pawnshop in Marikina City where he worked as vault keeper. Ramos said the police got the tip that the suspect was hiding in a remote barangay in Bocaue from a text message sent to the text hotline on July 20. After receiving the message, we verified the information and prepared a case buildup, Ramos said. Policemen arrested Fernandez in Barangay Batia at around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday armed with an arrest warrant from Regional Trial Court Branch 272 Judge Felix Reyes. We are encouraging our residents to text information to help us go after criminals, Ramos, who assumed his post only about two weeks ago, also said. Text MCF has been receiving at least 30 text messages everyday, ranging from tips about abusive government employees to complaints against roads needing repairs, executive technical assistant to the mayor Teck de Leon told the Inquirer. The system is operated by a company for free and text messages are directly sent to the e-mail account and the mobile phone of Marikina Mayor Marides Fernando. After evaluation, Fernando forwards the text messages to the concerned departments, De Leon explained. Tipsters need not worrythe cell phone numbers of the senders are not shown by the system, he added. To send a message, residents should type mayormcf (space), followed by the complaint or report, before sending the message to 2960. |