SWS survey: Fewer victims of crime in last 6 months

Fewer Filipinos have reported being victims of common crimes in the last six months, according to the third quarter survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) on crime, public safety and opinion on the Duterte administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.

An estimated 1.4 million Filipino families or 5.6 percent reported being victimized in such crimes as pickpocketing, robbery of personal property, break-ins, carnapping and physical violence, among others.

Despite the general decline nationally and across areas in terms of being victims of common crimes, the SWS noted that the public’s fear of burglars and unsafe streets remains high.

Lowest since June 2018

The survey conducted from Sept. 27 to 30 among 1,800 Filipino adults nationwide showed the lowest self-reported crime victimization since June 2018, when 5.3 percent of respondents said they became crime victims.

This is also 1.4 points lower than the 7.0 percent or 1.7 million families reported in June 2019.

According to the September survey, 3.4 percent or around 846,000 families said they were victimized by street robbery in the past six months; 2.6 percent or around 640,000 families were victimized by break-ins, and 0.5 percent or 133,000 families had family members hurt by physical violence.

Being victimized in common crimes were most likely to happen in the National Capital Region (NCR) than in other areas, the SWS found.

Streets still unsafe

In terms of public safety, while respondents noted a decline in the presence of drug addicts in their neighborhood, 38 percent believe that there are still many drug addicts in their area.

Fear of burglary also went up by 59 percent from 55 percent in June, while 47 percent think that their streets remain unsafe, up from 46 percent in June.

Fear of burglars and unsafe streets is also higher in the NCR than in other areas.

In their findings, the SWS noted that fear of safety is higher among those victimized by any crime.

Crime victimization, said SWS fellow Jay Sandoval, means respondents or their family members had actual experiences of crimes, and is not merely perception.