Focus crimes in Western Visayas drop 27% in October

ILOILO CITY — Focus crimes in Western Visayas dropped by nearly 27% in October 2026 compared with the same month last year, with police reporting fewer incidents of murder, rape, theft and vehicle theft.

The Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 recorded 119 focus crime incidents in October, down from 163 in October 2025, representing a 26.99% decline or 44 fewer cases.

PRO-6 attributed the decrease to its continuing efforts to strengthen crime prevention, police visibility and community safety across the region.

The eight focus crimes monitored by the Philippine National Police are murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, motor vehicle carnapping and motorcycle carnapping.

Among the categories, motor vehicle carnapping registered a 100% decline, with no cases recorded in October 2026 compared with one incident during the same month last year.

Motorcycle carnapping dropped by 75%, from eight incidents to two.

Murder cases also recorded a substantial decrease of 52.63%, falling from 19 incidents in October 2025 to nine this year.

Rape cases declined by 39.29%, from 28 to 17 incidents while theft cases decreased by 28.26%, from 46 to 33.

Physical injury cases fell by 10.53%, from 38 incidents to 34.

Homicide also registered a 10% decline, dropping from 10 cases to nine.

Police Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño, PRO-6 regional director, said the figures reflected improvements in the region’s peace and order situation but emphasized that public safety requires sustained cooperation between law enforcement agencies and communities.

“Every reduction represents fewer people and families affected by crime, and that is what makes these numbers meaningful. We will continue to build on this progress, while giving attention to the areas where we still need to do better,” he said.

The latest figures continue a downward trend reported by PRO-6 in previous months.

In August 2026, the regional police office recorded 116 focus crime incidents, down 36.96% from 184 during the same month in 2025.

During the first two weeks of September, focus crimes also fell by 30.14%, from 73 incidents to 51.

The October data suggest that the decline has continued, although the reduction was smaller than those reported in August and early September.

Tuaño urged residents to remain vigilant, observe basic safety precautions and promptly report suspicious activities.

“Keeping our communities safe is a responsibility we share,” he added.

He encouraged the public to secure their homes and vehicles, avoid leaving valuables unattended and exercise caution when traveling.

Residents were also advised to report suspicious activities and criminal incidents to the nearest police station or through official police hotlines.

PRO-6 said it would continue strengthening crime prevention measures and community cooperation to sustain improvements in public safety across Western Visayas.