• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Crime incidents in Negros Island Region dropped by 146 cases, due to the five-minute emergency response policy of PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III, after it was implemented, for the period starting from June 2 to July 31 this year, compared to the same period last year.
It went down from 1,834 cases in June to July last year, to 1,688, during the same period this year.
PBrig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, regional director of the Police Regional Office – Negros Island Region, in media briefing on August 18 at Camp Alfredo Montelibano Sr. in Bacolod City, disclosed that the crime clearance rate was logged at 95 percent, and crime solution efficiency recorded at 85 percent.
The eight focus crimes, composed of murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, carnapping of vehicles, and motorcycles theft, also dropped from 178 to 166, or 12 incidents.
This tells us that a fast, visible, and strategic response is working to deter crime, disrupt offenders and resolve incidents quickly, Ibay opined.
The Philippine National Police explained that the five-minute rule is strictly enforced in cities where police are nearby, but it is not always realistic in remote areas.
It is now refining its five-minute emergency response policy to ensure it is applied with common sense and tailored to local conditions.
“Our bottom line is that outside areas covered by the five-minute rule, we want police to arrive within a reasonable time,” PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III earlier said.
PRO-NIR records, however, indicated an increase of the Public Safety Indicator by 26 incidents, from 571 to 597, most of which were vehicular incidents.
Ibay explained that it does not necessarily mean that the roads have become more dangerous.
It shows that more people are now reporting accidents through 911, knowing that police can arrive within minutes, he added.
Stressing that their work is far from done, Ibay said they will continue to refine their patrol staging, improve road safety measures, and strengthen partnerships with communities.
“The 5-minute response time is more than a target – it is a commitment to be where we are needed, when we are required, in the shortest possible time,” he added.*
