Number of crimes in Region 7 drops

POLICE have observed a 14 percent drop in total crime volume in Central Visayas in the first nine months of 2018 to 36,592 incidents, with murders contributing to the decline with around nine fewer incidents.

The murders fell to 497 from last year’s 506, according to crime statistics kept by the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7. This is a decrease of 1.78 percent.

Murder belongs to the index crimes, or those committed against persons and properties. Index crimes fell to 6,932 from last year’s 9,667, showing a difference of 2,735 crime incidents or a decrease of 28.3 percent.

Theft, robbery and physical injuries remain the top three most rampant index crimes in the region. Theft has 2,671 cases, 1,996 cases for physical injury and robbery has 944.

From June 1 to Oct. 22, 2018, SunStar Cebu and Superbalita Cebu recorded 194 persons killed in Cebu. Included in the list were Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency officers Baby “Earl” Rallos and Von Rian Tecson, Ronda mayor Mariano Blanco III, former Lagtang, Talisay City barangay captain Mark Ferdinand Bas and PO3 Micahel Santinno Cortes.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña had accused the police of being the perpetrators of some of these killings, but PRO 7 Director Chief Supt. Debold Sinas and Cebu City Police Office Director Royina Garma denied the allegations.

Last Oct. 4, five men were killed by unidentified assailants in Barangay Malubog, Cebu City. Two persons survived and one of them maintained that it was the police who had abducted her a day before the killing.

Police officials denied their involvement and said a drug group may have perpetrated the crimes.

Non-index crimes decreased to 29,660 incidents from 33,066 in 2017, showing a decrease of 3,406 incidents. Non-index crimes are violations of special laws, such as those against illegal drugs, gambling and loose firearms.

The decrease of index and non-index crimes contributed to the drop of the total crime volume in January-September 2018.

PRO 7 recorded a crime volume of 36,592 incidents in the first nine months this year, from 42,733 in the same period in 2017, showing a decrease of 6,141 incidents.

Sinas attributed the decrease to their intensified campaign against illegal drugs and other crimes.

Camp Crame ranked PRO 7 as leading in terms of solving crimes in the first nine months of 2018.

According to the Office of the Crime Research and Analysis Center, PRO 7 has the highest crime solution efficiency with 28,828 cases solved, garnering a 78.782 percent rating.

Sinas said investigators are exerting efforts to solve crimes, including homicide incidents. (KAL)

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