MALOLOS CITY, Bulacan, Philippines — When a hardworking, no-nonsense police detective assumes a command post in a particular area, expect a lot of good to come to peace-loving citizens.

Take the case of Superintendent David N. Poklay, newly-installed chief of police here, a former intelligence chief in Angeles City and the Police Provincial Offices of Pampaga and Bulacan.

In just a few weeks on the job, Poklay already sent a chilling message to the underworld operating in this city: “You have no place in my turf, except behind bars.”

Over a dozen people have been put behind bars for cases ranging from illegal possession of firearms and drug dealing to simple felonies such as illegal fishing.