Western Visayas crime incidents down by 7.2%

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Crime incidents in Western Visayas have slightly decreased in the first five months of this year.

From January to May 2024, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 logged 4,820 incidents, which is 374 incidents or 7.2 percent lower compared to the same period in 2023, which had 5,194 incidents.

Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Solis, PRO-6 chief of staff, stated that the recorded crime incidents fall under the peace and order indicator (PSI), which includes both index and non-index crimes.

For this period, index crimes numbered 963 cases, a decrease of 239 incidents or 19.88 percent compared to last year’s 1,202 cases.

Non-index crimes, which include violations of special laws such as illegal gambling and drugs, totaled 3,857, a slight reduction from last year’s 3,992.

PRO-6 recorded 1,197 eight focus crimes — murder, homicide, rape, physical injury, robbery, theft, motor vehicle theft, and motorcycle theft. These crimes went down by 19.97 percent.

Brigadier General Jack Wanky, Western Visayas police chief, commended all unit commanders across the region for their relentless and proactive efforts in fighting lawlessness in their respective areas of responsibility.

“The downtrend in our recorded crimes in the region is the fruit of your labor. This is the product of maximizing your personnel on the streets and deploying them in strategic areas. Know fully your area of jurisdiction and adjust your deployment accordingly,” he said.

The region’s top cop also acknowledged the strong and continued support of local government units, force multipliers, advocacy support groups, and other stakeholders in their peace and order endeavors.

“Without them, we would not have reached this far. Despite this feat, rest assured that your police will continuously exert effort to make Western Visayas a safer place to live, invest, and do business,” Wanky said.