CPPO: Crime rate higher

CEBU, Philippines - The first two months of 2015 recorded an increase of 13 percent in the crime volume in the province of Cebu from the same period last year, the Cebu Provincial Police Office reported yesterday.

However, the CPPO has emphasized that while the crime rate is higher, its efficiency in solving incidents has also been intensified.

Based on the data from CPPO, 2,865 crimes were recorded from January to February 2015, higher than the 2,540 recorded over the same period last year, an increase of 325 crime incidents.

Superintendent Ro-dolfo Albotra, chief of CPPO’s Provincial Intelligence Branch, attributed the increase to the upsurge of non-index crimes, which comprise 49 percent of the total crime volume this year. The remaining 51 percent are the index crimes.

Index crimes involve offenses against persons, such as murder and physical injury, and properties, like theft and robbery, while non-index crimes are violations of special laws, such as those against illegal drugs and local legislations.

The non-index crimes this year increase to 1,408 incidents compared to the 1,207 recorded in 2014, an increase of 17 percent.

“Dako gyud og contribution sa non-index crimes ang police-initiated operations, law enforcement. Mitaas man pud atong police operations,” Albotra told reporters.

The index crimes have increased by nine percent this year with 1,457 cases from last year’s 1,333.

Of the 1,457 cases, physical injury was at 83 percent (628 cases), followed by murder (48), homicide (43), and rape (40). Theft topped the crimes against property with 421 cases, robbery with 244, carnapping with 32 and one case of “cattle rustling”.

On the other hand, CPPO stressed that its crime clearance efficiency and crime solution efficiency also improved by 17 percent and 15 percent, respectively, from last year covering the period of January to February.

A crime is considered “cleared” when the suspect is identified and charged while a solved crime is when the suspect is taken into custody and charged, Albotra explained.

“This is largely brought by the training of investigators through Criminal Investigation Course (CIC) which was funded by the different LCE (local chief executives) / LGUs (local government units) of Cebu Province,” the CPPO’s report read.

The CPPO presented yesterday the crime situation in the province during the Provincial Peace and Order Council meeting, presided by Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III, held at the Capitol. —  Michael Vencynth H. Braga/ATO (FREEMAN)