As index, non-index crimes ebb, traffic incidents still on the rise

By Jennifer P. Rendon 

Western Visayas’ crime volume has been decreasing in the past two years.

The celebration would have been complete, if not for the spiralling number of traffic incidents in the past year.

Of the 14,540 incidents that happened since Police Brigadier General Rene Pamuspusan assumed post in July 2019 until December 2019, traffic-related cases totalled 7,554, or roughly 41 cases per day.

Pamuspusan said they will be strictly enforcing traffic laws, aside from their anti-criminality campaign.

“We hope that law enforcement would help lessen the number of traffic incidents and deaths,” he said.

PRO-6 also plans to seek LTO (Land Transportation Office) deputation of more police personnel.

City and provincial police offices are expected to deploy more personnel to enforce traffic laws.

PRO-6 also intensified its information dissemination of Republic Act 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code.

Based on PRO-6 data, 7,108 and 7,123 traffic incidents were recorded in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Meanwhile, index crimes (crimes against persons and property) numbered to 1,895 incidents in the last six months of 2019.

During the same period in 2017, police recorded 2,212 index crimes. The following year, it went down to 2,022 cases.

Non-index crimes (illegal acts usually covered by special laws like violation of illegal drugs law) also dipped during Pamuspusan’s stint – 5,091 cases for the same period in 2019 and 5.696 in 2017 and 5,310 in 2018.