MANILA — The volume of index crimes nationwide dropped by 10 percent from January to May this year compared to the same period in 2022, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Monday.
According to PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr., index crimes dropped by 10.59 percent — from 15,064 cases in January to May 13, 2022, to 13,469 cases in the same period this year.
“This continuing decrease of incidents is attributed to the consistent implementation of numerous policies, such as intensified police visibility, intelligence-driven operations, community-based programs, strengthened partnerships with other agencies, and improved crime reporting and monitoring systems,” Acorda said in a statement.
He added that the average monthly index crime rate decreased by 8.51 percent — from 13,870 cases in 2022 to 12,690 cases this year.
Acorda said that focus crimes, which consist of murder, homicide, physical injury, robbery, theft, rape, and carnapping of motor vehicles, also dropped, as it noted a 10.66 percent decrease from the same period last year.
“From 14,990 cases in 2022 to 13,392 cases in 2023. Notably, incidents of physical injury recorded the highest decrease of 25.68 percent, from 2,142 incidents in 2022 to 1,592 cases in 2023,” the PNP chief reported.
In the last five months, the police force also conducted about 17,202 operations which resulted in the arrest of 22,826 individuals involved with drugs and the confiscation of illegal narcotics amounting to over P5 billion. (Faith Argosino © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
