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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

PNP posts drop in crime cases

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The number of crimes decreased during the first six months of this year, the Philippine Nationa Police announced on Monday.

Citing data from the PNP’s Unit Crime Periodic Reports, Director General Oscar Albayalde said a total of 227,757 crimes were recorded from January to June this year, a 17.39-percent decrease from 275,702 during the same period last year.

This was due to the decrease in the volume of index and non-index crimes, at 33.05 percent and 13.20 percent, respectively.

“Among index crimes, the top three most prevalent crimes are theft, physical injury and robbery. But despite theft and physical injury registering the top two most prevalent crimes nationwide, both crime categories went down by 36.90 percent and 33.80 percent, respectively,” Albayalde told reporters in a press briefing.

Index crimes include murder, homicide and physical injury while examples of non-index crimes are violations of city ordinances and less serious offenses.

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“We noted that homicide incidents have been slightly reduced during the first half of 2018 after several months of consistently posting increased incidents among the eight focus crime categories,” Albayalde said.

The focus crime categories, which posted a decline, include murder (29.54 percent); homicide (9.47 percent); physical injury (33.80 percent); rape (24.82 percent); robbery (34.40 percent); theft (36.90 percent); hijacking of motor vehicles (36.30 percent); and hijacking of motorcycles (26.61 percent).

“The significant 17.39-percent drop in crime incidents during the January-June period, and onwards until the end of September, is expected become the trend for the remaining months of the year when petty crimes are traditionally believed to peak in the holiday season. But contrary to this perception of a spike in crime during the [these] months, we see a steady decline in all crime categories,” Albayalde said.

The PNP chief, however, said it is likely that violent crimes could spike leading to the election period in January 2019. 

Albayalde also expressed support for the extension of martial law in Mindanao if it would help maintain peace and order there.

“If it will help. If we think the President or the government is inclined to extend the martial law, we will support it,” he said. 

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