SWS survey shows heightened fears of hiked criminality

Inquirer files

MANILA, Philippines — Families reporting victimization from both cybercrimes and common crimes increased in the third quarter of 2024, while fears about neighborhood safety remain high, according to the latest survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The survey, released on Saturday, was conducted from Sept.14 to Sept. 23, a record-high 7.2 percent of families reported cybercrime victimization, up sharply from 3.7 percent in June 2024, SWS said.

The rise in cybercrime victimization was seen across all regions: in Metro Manila, it spiked from three percent in June 2024 to 12.3 percent; in Luzon outside of Metro Manila from 5.2 percent to 6.3 percent; in the Visayas from 1.7 percent to 7.7 percent; and in Mindanao from three percent to 5.7 percent.

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SWS also revealed a rise in families affected by common crimes—such as pickpocketing, break-ins, car theft and physical violence—at 6.1 percent, up from 3.8 percent in June.

This is the highest record since September 2023, when it reached 8.1 percent.

READ: Card fraud most rampant cybercrime in PH

The survey also noted that 5.5 percent of families reported victimization from property crimes over the past six months.

This is up from 3.5 percent in June 2024, butlower than 7.8 percent in September 2023. Among these property crimes, street robbery, break-ins and physical violence increased while carnapping remained unchanged.

According to SWS, reported victimization from common crimes in their surveys is significantly higher than the number of crimes reported to the police.

Contrary police data

In October 2024, the Philippine National Police reported a 61.87 percent decline in index crimes from July 2022 to July 2024, with 83,059 incidents recorded, compared to 217,830 during the same period in 2016 to 2018.

“Our latest data indicates a substantial decline in crime rates, underscoring the effectiveness of our ongoing strategies and proactive measures… This significant downward trend spans various categories of crime,” the PNP said in a statement.

PNP’s index crimes include theft, physical injury, rape, robbery, murder, homicide, motorcycle theft and vehicle theft.

The survey also found that 56 percent of Filipino adults were fearful of burglary, unchanged from 55 percent in June 2024.

Fears of walking the streets at night slightly dropped from 50 percent in June 2024 to 48 percent, while those noticing drug addicts in their neighborhoods decreased from 46 percent to 41 percent.

The SWS survey used in-person interviews among 1,200 adults and had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2.8 percentage points for national percentages and plus-or-minus 5.7 percent points each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. —Inquirer Research