MANILA, Philippines—Police on Monday gave assurance they will secure SM Megamall and other major malls in eastern metropolis to prevent brazen daylight robberies similar to what happened Sunday at a luxury watch store Greenbelt 5 in Makati City.

Eastern Police District director Chief Supt. Benjardi Mantele said Monday the noon-hour robbery served as a “wake-up call” to the whole police force otherwise preoccupied with relief and rehabilitation operations in the wake of typhoon Ondoy.

“We were busy with Ondoy for the past few weeks but now we’re going back 100 percent to normal police operations. Our police will be more visible now,” he said in an interview.

Mantele said he told the four chiefs of police and heads of the district’s traffic management group, explosives and ordnance division and the Special Weapons And Tactics unit, among others, to “go out, man the streets, be very visible.”

The official said this early in the Christmas shopping season the EPD would deploy police officers, mostly women, at major malls, including Megamall, Edsa Shangri La Plaza, The Podium, Star Mall and Robinson’s Galleria, which is technically in Quezon City.

“These aren’t just ordinary mobile patrols. They’ll be stationed at every gate, although the mall security guards will still take care of frisking and bag inspection,” Mantele said.

With about 1,500 uniformed and non-uniformed EPD personnel, some 90 percent would be deployed in the streets, divided in eight-hour shifts, the official said.

“What we want to achieve is a consolidation of forces and increased police visibility,” he said.

Mantele said the EPD’s intelligence section would also coordinate with the Southern Police District to exchange information that could help solve the case.