COLONEL Orly Pagaduan officially assumed command as officer-in-charge of the newly established Type C  Dagupan City Police Office on October 20, following his installation in a ceremony presided by Police Regional Director Brig/Gen Dindo Reyes and attended by Mayor Belen Fernandez.

Reyes officiated the change of command between Pagaduan and his predecessor, P/Lt. Colonel Lawrence Calub, witnessed by ranking officers of Police Regional Office 1 from Camp Oscar Florendo in San Fernando City, La Union, including P/Colonel Arbel Mercullo, police provincial director of Pangasinan.

Pagaduan vowed to adopt community-based policing so that the service of the new Dagupan City Police Office will be felt by all residents, up to the remotest areas.

In his few days in office, Pagaduan had been visiting schools, universities and offices of the Dagupan City government, assuring better service and protection.

Calub was commended by Dagupan officials and residents for his performance despite a short period starting August 20 this year. His current rank does not qualify him to head a City Police Office.

He was credited with several noteworthy accomplishments, including the solution in less than 12 hours of the abduction and murder of a seven-year-old girl from Bantog, Asingan, whose body was found along the shores of Barangay Bonuan Gueset, and the arrest of several drug pushers and wanted criminals.

In his speech, Reyes told Mercullo that while he has one police station removed from his command, he can expect the Dagupan City Police Office, once fully operational, to “help you fight crimes all over Pangasinan.”

The OIC City Police Office will directly report to the police regional director, as the Pangasinan police director is his equal in rank.

As the Type C City Police Office, it will have a personnel complement five times the number of 153 policemen that it has today. It will also have more resources, equipment, and armaments coming from the police national headquarters, through the police regional office. It will also have its own City Mobile Company composed of members of the SWAT, an intelligence and investigation division, AOD, a K-9 unit, and police personnel who can help the Public Order and Safety Office in traffic management.

The mayor welcomed Pagaduan and gave him his first marching order to make Dagupan City drug-free. (Leonardo Micua)