BACOLOD City — The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) recorded a higher number of crime incidents in 2025, an increase that police officials attributed mainly to intensified police-initiated operations rather than a rise in criminal activity.
BCPO data showed that total crime incidents increased by 11.77 percent, or 149 cases, comparing the period from January 1 to December 31, 2024, with the same period in 2025.
Records indicated that 1,265 crime incidents were logged in 2024, while 1,414 incidents were recorded in 2025.
The figures were consolidated from the city’s 10 police stations, with Police Station 2 registering the highest number of recorded incidents for the second consecutive year.
BCPO City Director Col. Joeresty Coronica clarified that the increase should not be immediately interpreted as a deterioration of peace and order in Bacolod.
“Looking at the data, one might say that crime in Bacolod has increased,” Coronica said. “However, it is important to understand that the rise in recorded incidents is mainly due to police-initiated operations conducted last year.”
Coronica explained that arrests resulting from proactive operations—particularly anti-illegal drug operations—are automatically reflected in crime statistics and contribute to the overall count.
“Each arrest in an illegal drug operation adds to the number of recorded crime incidents. While crime incidents increased by 11.77 percent or 149 cases, police-initiated operations increased by 175 cases,” he said.
BCPO emphasized that the data reflects the police force’s proactive approach to law enforcement and its intensified efforts to identify, apprehend, and prosecute law violators.
Meanwhile, BCPO conducted a simultaneous turnover-of-office ceremony on January 7, led by Coronica, following the reshuffling of seven out of the city’s 10 police station commanders, along with several key personnel in different units.
Coronica said the reassignment was necessitated by the upcoming schooling of some station commanders and the transfer of others to the Police Regional Office–Negros Island Region.
He added that newly appointed station commanders and unit chiefs have been given three months to demonstrate their performance, stressing that those who fail to meet expectations may be relieved from their posts./PN
