ILOILO City – Recurring rotational brownouts have failed to trigger a feared surge in crimes across Western Visayas, with theft and robbery incidents instead posting double-digit declines despite communities periodically being plunged into darkness.
Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) director Police Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño said police data showed theft incidents dropped by 33 percent while robbery cases declined by 25 percent during the first few days of September, even as manual load dropping caused power interruptions in several areas of the region.
“What is good here is that manual load dropping has no connection to our theft and robbery incidents. In fact, during the first few days of September, our theft incidents decreased by 33 percent, while robbery decreased by 25 percent,” Tuaño said.
The figures indicate that the recurring power interruptions have so far not translated into increased criminal activity, particularly property crimes that could potentially take advantage of darkened streets, homes and business establishments.
Tuaño credited the decline to crime-prevention measures being implemented by police commanders and personnel across Western Visayas.
“That shows that the crime prevention efforts being carried out by our commanders on the ground are effective, and we were not affected by manual load dropping,” Tuaño said.
Manual load dropping is implemented by power utilities when available electricity supply is insufficient to meet demand. Selected areas are temporarily disconnected from the grid to stabilize the power system and prevent a wider disturbance.
The measure has resulted in rotational brownouts in parts of Western Visayas amid continuing constraints in electricity supply.
Despite the interruptions, PRO-6 has not detected a corresponding increase in theft and robbery incidents.
Police, however, will continue monitoring crime trends in communities affected by power interruptions, particularly as rotational brownouts persist.
Tuaño also stressed the need to sustain police visibility and crime-prevention measures to ensure that criminals do not exploit power outages and that communities remain safe even when electricity supply is interrupted./PN
