MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has urged the Philippine National Police (PNP) to continue keeping the communities safe by focusing in combating crimes.
The Chief Executive made the statement during the oath-taking ceremony of star-rank PNP officers in Malacañang following reports of decline in the country’s crime rate last year.
Marcos noted that the number of crimes had gone down to 198,617 in 2023, lower from the 207,143 crimes recorded in 2022, while index crimes went down to 38,436.
Marcos also said that law enforcers reached 98 percent crime clearance efficiency last year, while cases of theft, robbery, carnapping, rape, and physical injury have also declined.
“While the statistics can be counted, and crime incidents reduced, even in their diminished state the disturbance they cause is still immeasurable,” Marcos said.
“We should not be content with the current decrease in crime rates,” he added. “We must keep focusing in combating crimes to keep our community safe.”
President Marcos has also reiterated his administration’s support for improving the PNP’s capability, especially in dealing with cybercrimes.
“We are strengthening all our efforts (in) anti-cybercrime, from detection and response, to case build up and to resolution,” the Chief Executive said.
“We will continue to train our personnel in combating cybercrime and enhance our cybersecurity capabilities,” President Marcos.
He went on to assure that the PNP’s “well-being and professional growth are paramount” and his administration will continue to invest in police officers’ development and success./PN
