Records from the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management of the Philippine National Police (PNP) showed that the total nationwide crime volume in 2014 fell 6.3% to 1,161,188 from the 1,239,609 recorded during the previous year.

Criminal activity showed a noticeable 9% spike during the summer months of March and May compared to the other months, while settling to its lowest in December.

A breakdown of total crime figures showed that the PNP has recorded 9,948 murders, 8,320 homicides, 23,2685 cases of physical injury, 10,294 rape cases, 52,798 robberies, 164,589 cases of theft, 12,537 carjacking cases, and 1,601 cases of cattle rustling.

Region IV-A and Metro Manila recorded the most number of murders while the Cordillera Administrative Region has the lowest. The number of rape cases was also highest in the first two regions mentioned, as well as in Region III.

Metro Manila had the highest number of robbery and theft, posting about 50 cases of robbery and 120 cases of theft daily. The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), on the other hand, has the lowest number of both crimes, registering only about one to two cases of these crimes per day.

Carjacking was most prevalent in Metro Manila, with an average of nine recorded cases each day. Regions III and VII also experienced numerous cases of carjacking averaging around three to five incidents per day.

Citing these figures, PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Wilben M. Mayor painted a much better picture for 2015, saying that lessons learned by the country’s police force will be used to lower the crime rate even more.

“We will pursue all of our programs, the best practices that are connected to preventing and bringing down crime,” Mr. Mayor said in a phone interview.

In June, the PNP implemented “Operation Lambat”, targeting unregistered motorcycles to deter crimes committed by those “riding in tandem” or two people on board motorcycles.

In August, the PNP created a composite anti-crime unit tasked with looking into high-profile crime incidents after the unfortunate string of killings around the country including that of hotel chain owner Richard King and race car driver Enzo Pastor.

At around the same time, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) launched its campaign against loose firearms, dubbed as “Operation: Katok,” checking the residences of registered gun owners in Metro Manila to verify if their registered firearms are still in possession.

The PNP also tripled the number of police checkpoints strategically scattered across Metro Manila in the hopes of deterring criminals from continuing to commit their illegal activities.

Meanwhile, anti-crime group Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) downplayed the figures from the PNP, saying that crime has only worsened in the last year.

“Crime went up last year, most especially crimes against persons. Even the PNP admitted before that there were higher cases because there are more people reporting and that they (police) are being more accurate in their reporting,” VACC Chairman Martin B. Dino said in an interview.

Mr. Dino also noted the prevalence of crimes last year involving policemen, highlighting that public sentiment against policemen has never been the lower since many police officers have been linked to cases of robbery, extortion, illegal drugs and kidnapping.

For their part, several foreign business chambers welcomed lower crime figures, with one pitching their recommendations on how the PNP could further its anti-crime campaign and make the country more conducive to businessmen who would otherwise be turned off by crime.

“Any reduction in crime rate has to be good news for the business environment here and I will be encouraging for British businesses looking to enter the market,” Roger Lamb, chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce said in a text message.

Similarly, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Executive Vice-President Henry Schumacher received the news positively, noting that the downward trend in crime would further stimulate the business environment in the country.

“I think it’s positive and we are happy that it’s (crime) going down... And I think that there will be more businesses coming in,” Mr. Schumacher said in a separate phone interview.

Despite that, Mr. Schumacher cited that there are still a lot of room for improvement, citing that a 6% decline from cases that number in the hundreds of thousands or millions is still relatively small.

For his part, John D. Forbes, senior adviser of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, said that the PNP should secure more resources to develop the capacity of its police officers.

“The PNP has been increasing its force in the direction of one policeman for every 500 citizens... I think that foreign businesses would encourage the PNP to reach that ratio more quickly, to have a larger budget for equipment and transportation to be able to do patrols and prevent crime more effectively,” Mr. Forbes said in a phone interview.

The PNP is estimated to have around 150,000 police officers, still more than the 120,000-strong Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

With the Philippines having a national population of 100 million, the police to population ratio would be one policeman for every 667 people. The figure is almost 200 short of the ideal 1:500 ratio, or one police officer per every 500 people.

Source:Business World Online