COMPARED to the same period last year, the crime volume in Central Visayas dropped by 79.6 percent between Feb. 8 and May 3, 2020.
Police authorities traced the drastic dip in the region’s crime rate to Cebu’s enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
While 1,012 crime incidents were recorded last year, there were only 227 incidents from Feb. 8 to May 3 this year, police said.
“So the ECQ, even if this is really a hard life for everybody, also curtailed criminal activities. This means we were able to limit the movement of criminals and criminality in Central Visayas,” Police Regional Office (PRO 7) Director Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro said.
Ferro also reports that over P373.5 million worth of illegal drugs were confiscated by police operatives within that period.
The record haul consisted of 44.8 kilos of suspected shabu valued at P304,772,532 and 573 kilos of marijuana valued at P68,766,711.60.
A total of 2,912 drug suspects were also arrested and charged in court, while 10 died during the anti-drug operations, Ferro said.
Many of the drug busts were conducted when Cebu was already under ECQ due to rising cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Among the different police offices in Central Visayas, the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) confiscated the biggest volume of shabu with a total of 25.4 kilos valued at P127.6 million.
The Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) came in second with 13.6 kilos of shabu valued at P92.8 million seized.
Cebu provincial police operatives also confiscated a total of 504 kilos of marijuana valued at P60.3 million; while the CCPO seized 68.9 kilos of marijuana valued at P8.2 million.
Of this number, 18.8 kilos of shabu valued at P127,919,628 and 251.8 kilos of marijuana valued at P30.2 million were confiscated in Cebu between March 17 and May 3, 2020 or during days of the lockdown.
A total of 1,163 people were arrested while three drug suspects were killed while allegedly trying to resist arrest in the anti-drug operations conducted during the ECQ period.
“I’m proud to say that criminality has drastically changed or decreased,” Ferro said.
The region’s top cop credits the decline to the public’s limited activity due to the Covid-19, where people are forced to stay at home.
To further thwart criminality, Ferro ordered all City and Provincial Police Office directors to heighten police patrols. (AYB with CBQ)