NIR crimes drop 18% in five months

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region reported an 18.42% decline in focus crimes from January to May this year, marking a significant improvement in the region’s peace and order situation.

“Hindi man natin napipigil lahat, pero importante, generally bumaba,” Police Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño, acting PRO-NIR director, said in a media interview during the launch of the S.A.F.E. NIR 911 hotline at the Bacolod City Police Office on Thursday.

The focus crimes include physical injuries, which dropped from 10 incidents to three cases, while rape incidents significantly decreased from 31 to nine.

Robbery cases also went down from seven to six, and theft incidents dropped from 18 to 10, while motor vehicle carnapping was eliminated, with no cases recorded this year compared with four incidents during the same period last year.

Based on data from the Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division, focus crime incidents totaled 77 in January, rose to 81 in February, and peaked at 93 in March.

Despite the temporary rise, crime incidents steadily declined to 76 in April and further dropped to 62 in May.

Compared with the same period last year, focus crime incidents in May this year registered a significant decline of 36 cases, or 36.73%, from 98 incidents to 62.

According to PRO-NIR, the sharp reduction in the last two months not only offset the earlier increase but also brought focus crime incidents to their lowest level during the five-month period, reflecting the effectiveness of sustained law enforcement efforts and enhanced crime prevention initiatives across the region.

The regional office attributed the improvement to intensified police visibility, focused anti-criminality operations, enhanced intelligence gathering, and strengthened collaboration with local government units, force multipliers, and community stakeholders.

However, Cardiño acknowledged that there is still work to be done, emphasizing the importance of using the 911 emergency hotline for immediate police response to prevent crimes.

Last year, the Philippine National Police implemented a five-minute response time as part of its crime prevention strategy.

With the 911 emergency hotline, Cardiño said it could be similar to the five-minute response time but would still depend on proximity.

He added that PRO-NIR will check the fastest police response time in the region to effectively implement the S.A.F.E. NIR 911 program.

S.A.F.E. stands for Seen, Appreciated, Felt, and Extraordinary Police Service.

While the implementation of the localized 911 hotline is pending clearance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Cardiño said a simulation exercise is being conducted to train responders and authorities for quick response through the existing centralized 911 hotline.

To make it more efficient, he said personnel have been deployed to strategic points and crime-prone areas for immediate response.

Cardiño said the development inspires them to push even harder in their mission to protect lives, preserve peace, and ensure that every community across the region remains safe, secure, and resilient against all forms of criminality.

The NIR covers Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor.