MANILA, Philippines — Police officers will be more visible in public places in the coming days as part of security measures with the start of the “Ber” months, or the last four months of the year, when the crime rate is expected to rise with the coming of the Christmas season.
“As of this time wala namang pagbabago pa ‘yung (there have not been changes in our) security preparations natin although on the coming days, we will of course reinforce our visibility and our target-hardening measures,” PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde said in a press briefing at Camp Crame, Quezon City.
While the PNP plans to beef up its security measures for “Ber” months, Albayalde said that the police have somehow broken the “trend” of the crime rate increasing during this period.
“In the past three years medyo na-break na ‘yung trend na ‘yun na tuwing ‘Ber’ months, tumataas ‘yung crime incidents natin, particularly in Metro Manila,” Albayalde said in a press briefing.
(In the past three years, we have somehow broken the trend that during “Ber” months, crime incidents increase, particularly in Metro Manila.)
“Alam natin na kapag ‘Ber’ months, mahaba ang preparation natin for Christmas. Starting September pa lang, ‘yung iba gusto magkaroon ng kaunting pera para magkaroon ng pera for shopping purposes or buying of gifts. Ito ‘yung mga reason kung bakit tumataas ‘yung petty crime rates natin,” he explained.
(We know that during “Ber” months, we have a long time to prepare for Christmas. As early as September, some already want to have money for shopping purposes or to buy gifts. This is the reason why the rate for petty crimes increase.)
Based on data released from the NCRPO, crime volume in the capital region has indeed gone down since 2016, and that crime incidents in “Ber” months have been lower than in “non-Ber” months or the months of January to August.
According to NCRPO, the “Ber” months in 2016 recorded an average of 1,535 crime incidents in monthly average, lower than the 1,725 monthly average of crime incidents from January to August.
In 2017, the monthly average of crime incidents from September to December was at 1,399 and 1,414 from January to August. Meanwhile in 2018, it is was 1,077 for “Ber” months and 1,149 for “non-Ber” months.
NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar also said that that the crime rate from January to August 2019 is also lower at 981 compared to 1,149 during the same period in 2018. /je