CRIME SITUATION Crime rate declines; police cite operations vs. gangs

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said its intensified operations against organized crime groups and street gangs contributed to an 8-percent decline in crime incidents in the first 10 months of this year.

PNP spokesperson Chief Superintendent Dionardo Carlos said they recorded only 452,204 crime incidents from January to October this year, an 8.44-percent decline from the 493,912 incidents logged in the same period last year.

The decrease was recorded across the country, except in Southern Luzon and Northern Mindanao, where slight increases were recorded.

Eight out of 10, or 79.08 percent equivalent to 357,639 cases, were non-index or petty crimes, said Police Director Augustus Marquez Jr., chief of the PNP-Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) Crime Infor- mation Reporting and Analysis System (CIRAS).

“Non-index Crime cases are not accurate indicators of the overall prevailing crime situation, rather, it reflects the effectiveness of police operations in the enforcement of special laws, statutes and local ordinances,” said Marquez.

Only 94,565, or 20.91 percent, were index crimes. These include murder, physical injury, robbery, theft, rape, carnapping and cattle-rustling.

Of the non-index crimes, Marquez said a total of 139,292 were cases of reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property. Roughly four out of 10, or 38.95 percent of these cases, were a result of road and industrial accidents while 65,838, or 18.41 percent, were cases of reckless imprudence resulting in physical injury.

One in four non-index crimes, or 25.51 percent, were in violation of special laws, as follows: 19,593 cases of violation of Special Laws such as Violence Against Women and Children; 14,592 cases of child abuse; Illegal possession of illegal drugs with 36,347 cases; illegal possession of firearms with 4,838 cases; illegal logging with 1,338 cases; traffic code violations with 4,569 cases; Juvenile Welfare Act with 1,092 cases; and illegal gambling with 9,430 cases.