LINGAYEN–Pawnshop owners are being prodded by police authorities to reinforce their security system following reports that the Acetylene Gang, a notorious robbery group, is again poised to target their establishments.

P/Sr. Supt. Percival Barba, police provincial director, also asked local government officials to enact an ordinance in their respective towns and cities requiring pawnshops to install closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) and possibly alarm systems.

Seven members of the gang, suspected of being behind pawnshop robberies in San Fabian and Dagupan last month, were arrested in Dagupan last week.

Police said the Acetylene Gang has targeted five pawnshops and a warehouse in the province but P/ Supt. Wilson Lopez, head of the special operations group, said the plan may have already been aborted following the arrests.

Still Lopez urged pawnshop owners to redouble their security efforts and to be wary of new business tenants around their premises particularly those selling second-hand clothes. He said the gang uses it as a cover for their activities.

“It pays to be very careful,” he said.

The suspects were also charged by the San Fabian police for a pawnshop robbery after witnesses identified them through pictures provided by the Baguio City police.

The arrest was made by a composite team from the Dagupan City Police Station led by Superintendent Mariano Luis Verzosa Jr., and the San Fabian Police on Tuesday afternoon while the suspects’ two cars were parked in a mall in Dagupan City.

Verzosa said the police is conducting follow-up operations on other suspected gang members. #

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