ILOILO City – Christmas celebrations across Western Visayas were generally peaceful, according to the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6).
This was the result of the police’s extensive effort to ensure peace and order, according to PRO-6 spokesperson, Police Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Solis.
He specifically cited the maximum deployment of police personnel in the field.
Force multipliers were also tapped to ensure that people follow the health protocols, Solis added.
It also helped, according to Solis, that there’s an “awareness effort” through radio, television, social media and print reminding the general public to be cautious, vigilant and proactive in this holiday season.
“Generally, peaceful ang pag-celebrate naton ng Christmas. We have not recorded any incidents directly related to the nine-day Simbang gabi,” Solis said.
So far, there were no case of stray bullets, but there was a firecracker incident and zero incidents of illegal discharge of firearms.
Records showed that between Dec 16 to 24, this year, PRO-6 recorded 472 crimes – lower by 96 or 16.9 percent compared to 568 incidents of the same period last year.
“This can be attributed to the timely general assessment and strategic deployment of PNP personnel by our unit commanders. More police officers were deployed in areas identified where most of our kababayans have visited like churches, malls, markets, and terminals,” Solis added.
