THE number of index crimes in Central Visayas dropped in the first six months of 2018 compared with the same period last year.
Based on a report provided by the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7, the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) was told yesterday that index crimes went down by 32.3 percent.
Index crimes are those committed against persons and properties. Only 2,154 index crimes were reported from January to June this year, which is less than the 3,183 cases reported in the first half of last year.
First among index crimes was theft, with 743 cases. Next was physical injuries with 710, cases and robbery with 293 cases.
Despite the reported spate in murder cases this year, the PRO 7 said only 158 cases of murder were reported during the second quarter, lower compared to the same period last year when 169 murder cases were reported.
Non-index crimes such as illegal drugs, gambling, loose firearms and environmental violations also decreased by 11.9 percent.
A total of 9,925 non-index crimes were reported, lower than the 11,272 non-index crimes reported in the same period in 2017.
In the continuing campaign against illegal drugs, the PRO 7 reported that 2,539 suspected pushers and users were arrested in 1,686 operations.
In these operations, 15 people, including 11 suspected pushers, were killed by police.
Senior Supt. Julian Entoma, chief of the PRO 7 Regional Operations and Plans Division, said that the decreasing number of index and non-index crimes in the region resulted from the continuous visibility of their police personnel in the region.
Entoma said that as a way to prevent crime, they adjusted police intervention procedures, and increased deployment and visibility in areas where crime was rampant. (JKV)