ACCORDING to Numbeo's Southeast Asia Safety Index 2023, Davao City secured the second spot with a safety index 72.4, following only Chiang Mai City in Thailand, which ranked first.
Singapore (city), Penang in Malaysia, and Hanoi, Vietnam come in third, fourth, and fifth place respectively.
Other Philippine cities, including Makati (6th), Iloilo (8th), and Cebu (12th), were also featured on the list.
Davao City Police Office (DCPO) aims to uphold its status as the country's safest city, highlighting progress in crime reduction.
From January to May 2024, total crime incidents decreased to 1,759, down from the previous year, particularly noting a 28.47% drop in index crimes.
While crimes like rape, theft, and murder remain concerns, DCPO attributes the decline to persistent law enforcement efforts.
The agency also reported decreased violations of special laws during the period, underscoring ongoing police operations.
Despite a recent viral post listing cities with high crime rates in Southeast Asia where Davao ranked 19th, DCPO views community trust in their operations as pivotal to maintaining low crime rates.
The list included Manila, Quezon, Kuala Lumpur, Klang, and Phnom Penh in the Top 5.
Captain Hazel Tuazon emphasized this trust during a recent press conference, affirming the community's role in reporting criminal activities.
“The violation of special laws or non-index crimes decreased for the covered period. This shows the continuous implementation of police operations,” the agency stated.
DCPO continues to verify rankings and qualifications from Numbeo, a prominent user-contributed database offering statistical analyses on global living conditions, including crime rates.
According to its website, Numbeo is the world’s largest database of user-contributed data about cities and countries worldwide, as it provides current and timely information on world living conditions including cost of living, housing indicators, health care, traffic, crime, and pollution. DEF with reports from Allyssa Casas, Addu Intern