NCRPO: Crime down 15%

CRIMINAL cases in Metro Manila went down in the first quarter of the year due to the “more aggressive crime prevention efforts” of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), Director Nicanor Bartolome said in a statement Sunday.

Bartolome said the number of crimes from January to March decreased by 15 percent compared to the same period last year although the cases of car theft and murder went up by 14 and 13 percent, respectively.

“Adjustments are now being undertaken to curb [car theft] and murder incidents,” he added.

Based on the NCRPO crime monitoring report, Bartolome said 8,352 crimes took place from in the first three months this year, down by 1,500 cases compared to 2010.

Of the crimes recorded in the first quarter this year, 65 percent (5,449 cases) were classified as index, while the rest were categorized as non-index. Index cases refer to crimes against persons or property while non-index crimes cover violations of special laws.

Physical injuries dropped by 32 percent this year to 1,238 cases from 1,824 in 2010. Robberies also decreased to 1,582 incidences, 21 percent lower than the first three months of last year.

Rape cases went down by 15 percent to 106 this year, 20 incidents lower than the 126 recorded last year.

Among the five police districts in the capital, the Manila Police District saw a sharp decline in crime incidents, recording only 1,053 cases in the first quarter as against 1,857 during the same period last year.

Next was the Quezon City Police District which reported a 30 percent drop in crime cases, followed by the Northern Police District (21 percent), Eastern Police District (20 percent) and Southern Police District (11 percent).