Crime rate from January to July consistently went down since 2005 to this year, says PNP

By Ronron
September 18, 2007

The volume of crimes from January to July in 2005, 2006 and 2007, respectively, has consistently gone down due to efficient police measures, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported Tuesday.

Based on the data presented by Director Jefferson Soriano, chief of the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM), total crime volume for the first seven months of 2005, 2006 and 2007 exhibited a downward trend, at an annual rate of 7.58 percent.

Soriano said that for 2005, there were 45,964 crimes reported; for 2006, there were 42,141; and for 2007, there were only 39,261.

In particular, he said that index crimes (murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, and theft) went down from 26,115 in 2005, to 25,134 in 2006, and to 22,280 in 2007.

Street crimes also posted a decline over the three-year period, from 8,609 in 2005, to 6,769 in 2006, and to 6,150 in 2007.

“This (downtrend) is because of our pro-active programs like increased police visibility, deployment of motorcycle cops, walking the beat program, implementation of containment rings like checkpoints and chokepoints, non-stop manhunt operations, deployment of secret marshals, night-watch program, and our community linkages,” Soriano explained.

But while there is a downtrend in the volume of crimes, the PNP conceded that there is also a drop in its crime solution efficiency, from 88.57 percent in 2005, to 88.28 percent in 2006, and to 88.15 percent in 2007. This means that not much crime incidents were solved by the PNP this year compared to the previous years.

Soriano failed to explain this slight reduction.

Meanwhile, the PNP announced that effective 12 noon yesterday (Tuesday), the alert status all over the country, except for Metro Manila and the Special Action Force, is already back to normal level.

The alert in Metro Manila and the SAF, at the same time, is down from full to heightened level.

“We do not see a big threat anymore and the issues involving pro-Erap groups have already subsided so we recommended for the downgrade of the alert,” said Director Wilfredo Garcia, chief of the PNP Directorate for Operations.

The PNP raised its alert to full status last week in preparation for any outburst by supporters of former President Joseph Estrada due to his conviction for plunder at the Sandiganbayan.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines, for its part, has yet to fully bring to normal status its alert in Metro Manila as it is yet to finish its assessment of the prevailing situation./DMS