ILOILO City – Crime incidents decreased by 82.7 percent with this city under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), data (from June 1 to June 15) from the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) showed.
This city recorded 60 “focus crimes” (murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, car-napping, and motorcycle theft).
During the same period last year, the city logged 347 such incidents.
Western Visayas had a total 458 crime incidents (including focus crimes) from June 1 to June 15 – a 50.64 percent drop from last year’s 928 recorded in the same period.
The Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) attributed the decrease to the city’s current MECQ classification; Mayor Jerry Treñas ordered the closure of non-essential establishments and liquor ban.
PRO-6 spokesperson, Police Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, said quarantine control checkpoints, the deployment of more personnel to enforce quarantine protocols contributed to the drop in crimes.
“We will not pull out our augmented forces in the city. Nakikita ko na kailangan pa nila ng mga tao kasi patuloy pa rin ang pagtaas ng mga kaso ng coronavirus disease,” said Police Brigadier General Rolando Miranda, regional police director.
Before the implementation of MECQ, the Police Regional Office 6 deployed 500 personnel to man quarantine checkpoints and maintain peace and order. Two hundred personnel were from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 6 (RMFB-6) while the remaining were police trainees undergoing Basic Internal Security Operations Course (BISOC).
These personnel were from the provinces of Aklan, Capiz, Antique, Negros Occidental, and Bacolod City./PN
