Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. on Thursday said his only wish this coming Christmas is for the country’s crime rate to go down further during the Yuletide season.
“Siguro para sa sarili ko, matutuwa ako kung ang pagbaba ng krimen ngayong almost patapos ang taon ay tuluy-tuloy, kasi nakita naming tuluy-tuloy ang pagbaba ng krimen. Kaya ine-encourage ko ang aming kapulisan sa huling araw ng taon na ito, dapat maging masigasig pa sila sa pagtatrabaho nila, ibigay nila yung best nila because ito yung unang pasko na magse-celabrate tayo after the very critical na pandemya, na kung saan hindi tayo nakakalabas (For me, I will be happy if the decrease in crime will be sustained as we almost end the year, because we have seen a continuous decrease in crime. So, on the last few days of this year, I am encouraging our police force to be more diligent in their work, to give their best, because this is the first Christmas that we will celebrate after the very critical period (pandemic) where we cannot go out),” Azurin said in a radio interview.
Azurin said data from the PNP showed there were 36,806 focus crimes from Jan. 1 to Dec. 9, which is lower compared to 37,881 cases in 2021 for the same period, or a decrease of 2.84 percent.
The focus crimes are murder, homicide, physical injury, robbery, theft, vehicle theft, motorcycle theft and rape. Theft in public places is among the most frequent crimes.
Visayas registered the biggest drop in crimes with 6 percent followed by Mindanao with three percent and Luzon, 1.24 percent.
According to the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM), the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) recorded the biggest crime rate drop among 17 other regions evaluated.
From January to December 9, 2022 PRO-7 reported 3,633 focus crimes, a significant drop of 10.65 percent, or 433 cases, from the previous year’s 4,066.
PRO-7 also recorded the largest quantity of illegal drugs confiscated from Jan. 1, 2022, to Nov. 30, 2022 among the 17 police regional offices, with a total estimated amount of PHP 866.16 million.
To sustain the decreasing crime rate, Azurin has ordered all police commanders to beef up police presence in areas of convergence.
“At the same time, they (police) need the help of the citizens to reduce crime, or eliminate crime, in their respective areas because everyone deserves to enjoy this Christmas season after the pandemic,” Azurin said. (PNA)
