ILOILO – From January to August of this year, the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) recorded 7,045 crime incidents in Western Visayas – an 11.09 percent drop from the 7,924 cases recorded last year.
All provinces and cities reported a slump in crimes except for Negros Occidental which recorded a 4.34 percent surge in cases – from 1,866 cases last year to 1,947 this year.
Iloilo City registered the deepest drop in crimes – 33.1 percent equivalent to 478 cases (from 1,444 in 2021 to 966 this year).
Iloilo province reported a 16.67 percent drop equivalent to 312 cases (from 1,871 in 2021 to 1,559 this year) while Guimaras recorded a decline of 10.22 percent or 23 cases (from 225 in 2021 to 202 this year).
Here’s how the other areas fared:
* Capiz – 9.5 percent drop
* Bacolod City – 7.08 percent
* Antique – 3.21 percent
* Aklan – 2.29 percent
PRO-6 director Police Brigadier General Leo Francisco commended all unit commanders and their personnel.
“Let us relentlessly implement our crime prevention and solution strategies. Have a regular evaluation of your approaches and adjust if necessary,” he said.
Francisco stressed the importance of police collaboration with local government units and other stakeholders “so that we can sustain this downward trend in crime incidents.”
“Furthermore, ensure that our personnel interact with the community so it would be easy for the people to have access to our peacekeeping services,” Francisco added./PN