Crimes by motorcycle-riding perpetrators rise–police

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine National Police has monitored a rise in crimes perpetrated by motorcycle-riding persons, the PNP’s spokesman said Tuesday.

Chief Superintendent Agrimero cruz Jr. said that data culled by the PNP showed that crimes carried out by motorcycle-riding persons have risen to 1,700, a little over two months before the end of the year, from the 1,565 recorded last year.

Majority of the riding-in-tandem incidents this year were carried out in Central Luzon (566), Calabarzon (351) and Southern Mindanao (196). Last year’s data showed Central Luzon also having most of the cases, with 550, followed by the National Capital Region, 315, and Calabarzon, 308.

But criminals have also changed the hours they choose to carry out their crimes, said Cruz, who revealed that burglars now choose to break into homes between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. “when people have gone to work and the children have been brought to school.”

Robbers also prefer to strike between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., “not only at night,” he added.

Cruz said that the National Capital Region Police Office has tasked 1,240 motorcycle-riding police officers to prevent crimes carried out by riding-in-tandem suspects.