Negros Occidental registers highest crime rate in WV

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Negros Occidental posted the highest crime incidents among six provinces and two urban cities of Western Visayas, records of the Police Regional Office-6 showed yesterday.

Of the 35,732 incidents in Western Visayas — from January to September this year — the PRO-6 recorded 8,027 incidents in Negros Occidental, followed by Iloilo City with 7,855 and Iloilo province with 6.925.

Aklan province ranked 4th with 4,828 cases, Capiz at 5th with 3,191, Bacolod City at 6th with 2,647, and Guimaras province with 868.

While Negros Occidental had the most number of reported crimes in the same period, the crime volume went down by 10.40 percent, compared to the same period last year. Murder and homicide cases also dropped by 15 percent, its report showed.

Superintendent Gilbert Gorero, PRO-6 public information officer, however, said that Western Visayas continues to be generally peaceful, as crime volume dropped by 13.69 percent, compared to the same period last year.

Gorero said focus crimes, such as murder, homicide, physical injuries, rape, robbery, theft, carnapping and stealing of motorcycles, dropped by 12.85 percent. In Negros Occidental, the eight focus crimes went down by 16.26 percent, PRO-6 records also showed.

Gorero also reported that crime solution efficiency of PRO- 6 slightly increased by 1.68 percent this year, compared to last year.

The PRO-6 recently re-assumed the supervision of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office and Bacolod City Police Office, following the deactivation of Police Regional Office-Region 18, as a result of the abolition of the of the Negros Island Region by President Rodrigo Duterte. (FREEMAN)