BY RHENJIE MARIE CALANTAS
ILOILO City – The eight focus crimes in Western Visayas decreased by 15.67 percent, according to the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6).
As of Aug. 31 this year, the police recorded 1,738 incidents, over 300 incidents less than the 2,061 incidents recorded last year from Jan. 1 to Aug. 31.
The eight focus crimes were murder, homicide, rape, physical injury, robbery, theft, carnapping of vehicles and carnapping of motorcycles.
Also called index crimes, focus crimes are crimes considered serious and occurring with sufficient frequency and regularity that they are considered index to the crime situation in a given area.
The breakdown of crime incidents this year:
* murder – 226 cases
* homicide – 112 cases
* physical injury – 237 cases
* rape – 413 cases
* robbery – 182 cases
* theft – 510 cases
* carnapping involving vehicles – one case
* carnapping involving motorcycles – 57 cases
The breakdown of crime incidents in 2022:
* murder – 233 cases
* homicide – 95 cases
* physical injury – 339 cases
* rape – 470 cases
* robbery – 243 cases
* theft – 625 cases
* carnapping involving vehicles – five cases
* carnapping involving motorcycles – 51 cases
PRO-6 spokesperson Major Mary Grace Borio attributed the reduction in focus crimes to the efforts of police officers in holding talks with communities and the Enhanced Managing Police Operations (EMPO).
Through EMPO, the PRO-6 has a weekly assessment where strategies are also being planned to strengthen crime prevention./PN
