CEBU, Philippines - The total number of crimes in Cebu province dropped by 10.93 percent in the first eight months this year compared to the same period last year.
Superintendent Brindo Nacario, chief of the Provincial Operations and Plans Branch of the Cebu Provincial Police Office, said crimes went down by 1,434 cases (11,424 January to August this year) from 12,858 for same period last year.
Nacario said Index crimes, or those committed against persons and properties, dropped by 17 percent to 3,444 this year from 4,152 last year. Non-index crimes, on the other hand, reduced by 8.34 percent to 7,980 this year from last year's 8,706.
Non-index crimes are the result of police-initiated operations to enforce special laws, such as those on illegal drugs, gambling, loose firearms, and the environment.
Nacario said this indicates that the intensified patrols and security operations conducted by the police have deterred crimes in consonance to the strong campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte against drugs and criminalities.
"Crime and illegal drugs are interrelated. With our aggressive stance to curb prohibited drugs in consonance with our President's thrust to eradicate drug menace, the CPPO index crime dropped," he said.
Nacario presented the figures during the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) regular meeting at the Capitol Social Hall last week.
Nacario said drug users tend to commit crimes such as robbery and theft to support their inclination to drugs.
"More so, addicts who are high on drugs are bold enough to commit crimes against persons such as homicide, murder, and physical injury," he added.
CPPO records showed that there were 597 robberies this year (922 in 2015); 1,203 theft incidents (1,698 in 2015); and 911 incidents of physical injuries (881 in 2015). Talisay City had the most number of robbery and theft incidents while Bogo City got the highest incidents of physical injury.
As to cases of murder, CPPO recorded 166 incidents this year compared to 177 last year.
However, the incidents of rape rose to 194 this year from 163 last year.
It can be recalled that earlier this month, two men robbed an eatery in Barangay Pitogo, Consolacion and reportedly abducted and raped its two female attendants in the town's cemetery.
Last May, a 10-year-old girl was also raped by her two uncles and grandfather in Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City. But her grandfather and uncle molested her at the age of seven. (FREEMAN)