Police arrest 16,000 wanted persons in H1

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has arrested 16,702 persons wanted for various criminal offenses during the first six months of the year, its spokesman said Monday.

Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo, PNP spokesman, said this is among the significant results of police operations during the year and among the highlights of the report submitted by PNP chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome to President Benigno Aquino III as the police organization celebrates its 111th anniversary on Friday.

A summary of PNP operational accomplishments over the six-month period from January to June 2012 revealed the arrest of 16,702 wanted persons, the surrender of 131 other wanted men and the slay of six others who resisted arrest.

The same report showed 74 of these arrested wanted persons as belonging to the list of Top Most Wanted Persons with rewards offered by authorities for their capture.

Aside from the arrest of these wanted persons, the PNP also neutralized 91 criminal gangs and rounded-up 358 gang members in separate operations that also resulted in the confiscation of 90 assorted firearms.

The PNP filed 137 cases against the arrested criminal gang members.

"The arrest of these wanted persons manifests the keen resolve of the PNP to uphold the rule of law by establishing the certainty of prosecution and punishment of criminal offenders," said Cerbo.

Cerbo said the PNP recently awarded P4.745-million reward to confidential informants who provided vital information that led to the arrest of 39 Most Wanted Persons listed in the PNP database of persons wanted by the law for mostly heinous criminal offenses.

As a result of more aggressive police operations in line with the current operational thrusts on wanted persons, loose firearms and organized crime, the PNP confiscated 3,791 firearms from 2,561 unauthorized firearm holders thru vigorous checkpoint and on- the-spot gun check operations and service of search warrant.

A total of 80 loose firearms were confiscated from 231 arrested motorcycle-riding suspects involved in various street crime activities.

To complement the government’s total war against illegal drugs, intensified anti-illegal drugs operations of the PNP in the first six months of 2012 resulted in the confiscation of P1.788-billion worth of illegal drugs in 4,211 separate anti-drug operations across the country.

A total of 7,401 violators of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 were rounded-up by the PNP in drug buy-bust operations, raids and searches, and Marijuana eradication operations in the countryside.

In other crime concerns, the PNP noted a significant drop in carnapping incidents during the first half of 2012 with a steady monthly downtrend in carnapping cases from January to June.

A total of 547 carnapping cases were recorded from January to June 2012, showing a sharp drop of 25.98 percent from the 739 motor vehicles stolen during the same period in 2011.

The PNP posted a high 34.17 percent Crime Solution Efficiency Rating during the 1st half of 2012, translated roughly to the solution of three out of every 10 crime cases reported with the arrest of the suspect and cases filed in court.

A 17.41 percent reduction in Total Crime Volume was recorded, from 80,520 incidents in 1st semester 2011 down to only 68,154 cases or 14,366 cases fewer in 1st semester 2012. (VR/Sunnex)