• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Philippine National Police reported on Thursday a reduction of 329 crime incidents in the past eight months of this year in Negros Occidental, compared to the same period of 2023.
In his report during the joint meeting of the Provincial Peace and Order Council and Provincial Anti Drug Abuse Council at Negros Residences in Bacolod City, PLl Col. Edison Garcia, deputy provincial director for Operations of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, said crime incidents went down to 2,708 from January to August this year, compared to 3,037 in the same period last year.
Index crimes, which involve crimes against persons such as murder, homicide, physical injury and rape, and crimes against property such as robbery, theft, carnapping and cattle rustling, also reduced from 509 in 2023 to 315 this year.
On the other hand, non-index crimes, or violation of special laws, slightly increased to 1,796, compared to 1,705 last year, Garcia reported.
In the campaign against illegal drugs, NOCPPO records indicated the recovery of P27,697,699 worth of suspected shabu and dried marijuana leaves from 827 arrested drug suspects.
NOCPPO also recovered 114 firearms from 100 persons arrested by the police in 101 operations they conducted during the same period.
A total of 1,968 violators were arrested for illegal gambling, which yielded P497,814 in alleged cash bets.
Garcia attributed the downward trend in crime incidents to the religious conduct of Enhanced Managing Police Operations, Police Integrated Patrol System and intensified police visibility, law enforcement and checkpoint operations, as well as implementation of local ordinances.
He added that the implementation of best practices and initiatives such as Oplan Dasig (One Button SMS), adaptation of the action plans on prevailing crimes and “Armas Baylo Bugas,” contributed to the reduction of criminality in the province.*
