Police officer: No increase in Baguio crimes

POLICE Senior Superintendent Jesus D. Cambay Jr. clarified Tuesday that the crime volume of Baguio City has significantly increased last year compared to 2011 due to the shift in reporting system used by the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO).

This was in reaction to the letter from Cedrik Forbes, assistant director for Security and Governance Policy Office on the Presidential Management Staff, regarding the significant increase of total crime volume last year.

According to Forbes, “the city’s total crime volume increased by 59.47 percent from 4,519 in 2011 to 7,202 in 2012.”

But Cambay said the BCPO has shifted to the use of the blotter-based crime reporting, which incidentally includes all cases or incidents recorded in the police blotter as a requirement for the GIS (Geographical Information System) approach, which the BCPO and the Police Regional Office of the Cordillera (Procor) are introducing for a more systematic computerized crime solution.

He said the Procor GIS-Based Crime Analysis (GIS-BCA) aims “to determine crime trends, crime hotspots and critical times where honest reporting of crime incidents is the most important element for the efficient and effective deployment of police officers and employment of resources where they are needed most.”

The blotter system, however, includes cases that were excluded in the previous year, such as traffic accidents, cases referred to the barangay, incidents for blotter record purposes only and cases of children in conflict with the law (CICL).

Cambay said the blotter-based crime reporting has been used from July to December 2012 reason for the abrupt increase in the crime volume.

In 2011, BCPO used the Unit Crime Periodic Reporting (UPCER), which mandated all police units to report only cases that were actually investigated by policemen and cases that were amicably settled but excluding traffic accidents, barangay incidents and even those for blotter purposes or reference only.

In 2011, the blotter-based total crime volume totalled 6,997 whereas in UPCER-based report, the crime volume was only 4,521.

In 2012, using the blotter based reporting system, BCPO was able to register a total of 7,202 crime volume or a 2.9 percent increase compared with the same period in year 2011.

In UPCER reporting, there were 3,577 cases or a decrease of 20.88 percent for the same period in year 2011.

Cambay has already devised anti-crime strategies and interventions to address the crime situation in the city in consonance with the desire of the present police leadership.

These strategies include the shift from service-oriented policing to customer satisfaction-oriented policing; police presence and visibility; apprehension and monitoring of motorcycle-riding criminals; conduct of dragnet operations; installation of “Oplan Tangguyob” information operation plan; and resumption of frisking for deadly weapons. (PR)