THE Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) released on Friday the data showing a decrease of 28.74 percent in crime incidents in 2017 compared to the figures in 2016.
Senior Inspector Armilyn Vargas, public information officer of BCPO, told VoxPop Bacolod that there was a drop of 1,349 incidents from January to December last year.
Crime incidents totaled to 3,344 last year while 4,693 cases were recorded in 2016.
Records showed that the average monthly crime rate decreased by 28.74 percent.
In the previous year, index crimes like murder, homicide, robbery, theft, physical injuries, motornapping, and carnapping reached 1,105 as against the 1,266 incidents reported in 2016, or a decrease of 12.72 percent.
Index crimes with highest incidents last year include theft, 450; physical injuries, 253; robbery, 205; murder, 38; motornapping, 31; homicide, 27; and carnapping, 8.
Vargas said index crime solution efficiency decreased by 6.71 percent in 2017 while index crime clearance efficiency dropped by 3.32 percent from 64.14 in 2016 and 60.81 in 2017.
She added that non-index crimes that involve violations of special laws and ordinances last year totaled 2,239 cases compared to 3,427 in 2016, with a decrease of 34.67 percent.
Crime clearance efficiency decreased by 3.82 percent while crime solution efficiency dropped by 3.98 percent.
Vargas said the decrease is due to the temporary suspension of police’s involvement in the anti-illegal drug operations.
She added that Senior Superintendent Francisco Ebreo, officer-in-charge of BCPO, directed all investigators to backtrack unresolved cases to provide solutions.
On their accomplishments against illegal drugs, BCPO has conducted 276 operations from January to October 2017, with 629 drug personalities arrested, and confiscation of 1,148.306 grams of suspected “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride) and .077 grams of marijuana with a street value amounting to P11,483,066.80.
There were also 4,054 drug surrenderers during the same period.
The BCPO has also arrested 17 most wanted persons and 277 other wanted persons from January to November 2017.
In the campaign against loose firearms, BCPO has conducted 84 operations with 88 persons apprehended and recovery of 89 firearms.
In the campaign against illegal gambling, 189 operations were conducted with 461 persons arrested from January to December 2017.
