THE Philippines’ overall crime rate has recorded a 7.8 percent drop from January 1 to September 15, 2023, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Benjamin Acorda Jr. said.

In a news conference on Saturday, September 16, 2023, Acorda said a total of 140,778 crime incidents were recorded from January 2023, down by 11,975 from 152,753 crime incidents recorded during the same period last year.

Acorda attributed the significant drop in crime rate to the intensified police presence and visibility in crime-prone areas and other public convergence points.

Acorda said the campaign against illegal drugs has shown “remarkable progress,” with 34,496 operations conducted that resulted in the seizure of over P7.2 billion worth of illegal drugs since the beginning of the year.

He said a total of 54,653 individuals, including 56 wanted persons with reward, were arrested through the PNP’s aggressive and honest law enforcement operations while the relentless campaign against loose firearms has resulted in the recovery and surrender of 34,404 firearms.

Acorda also noted that the PNP has received a “commendable” 85 percent trust and approval ratings from surveys among government agencies and placing it in the top three, next to the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) and Department of Education (DepEd).

He said that while there were bad eggs among their ranks, the majority of more than 226,000 PNP personnel are honest and upright and are committed to their duties.

“However, we acknowledge that there are instances of misconduct and we are taking decisive actions to address them. Our commitment to cleansing our ranks remains steadfast. From January 1, 2022 to August 30, 2023, we have resolved 4,082 cases involving our personnel resulting in appropriate penalties and disciplinary actions,” said Acorda.

“As part of our integrity enhancement program, we have conducted nearly 116,000 random and mandatory drug tests. Any personnel found positive for drug use are swiftly dismissed from the police service,” he added.

From January 1 to August 31, 25 police officers, including former Mandaluyong police chief Colonel Cesar Gerente, tested positive in confirmatory drug tests conducted on more than 115,000 police personnel.

In the same period, eight police personnel across the country have been dismissed from the service after testing positive for illegal drug use.

Acorda also said earlier that 89 top-level PNP officials also tested negative for drug use. (SunStar Philippines)