Crime rate in Cebu increases by 72 %

CEBU, Philippines - An increase of 72 percent of the crime rate in the whole province has been recorded by the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) for the first eight months of 2013 compared to the same months last year.

However, the increase is not due to lax of security measures but because of a new directive from Camp Crame instructing all police stations to record all crimes within their jurisdiction, even those in the barangay level.

From January to August this year, CPPO has recorded a total of 10,665 crimes which shows a 172 percent increase to last year’s 3,920.

Sr. Supt. Noel Gillamac, CPPO director, explained that the increase in the number of crimes on their record does not imply that more crimes have been taking place in the past few months compared to the same time last year but only shows the increase in the recorded crimes which may have been the same number in the past years.

“I-apil gyud na tanan kay mao na man na ang directive sa ibabaw maong makaingon ta nga nitaas ang crime volume ron,” Gillamac said.

Based on CPPO’s recorded index crimes or crimes against persons this year, the number increased by 141 percent from 2,459 last year to 5,935.

On the distribution of index crimes, phy-sical injury has the highest number with 2,566 and followed by theft crimes with 1,985 and robbery crimes with 957.  

Non-index crimes or violations against special laws or local ordinances also increased by 224 percent from 1,461 last year to 4,730 this year.

Yesterday, Gillamac met with Provincial government officials to present their records for 2013.

Vice Governor Agnes Magpale said that she is amenable to the new recording process of crimes by the PNP since “reporting honestly of correct figures” is a big help to address the crime rate problem in the province.

“I like what they are doing. He has been doing things right,” Magpale added, referring to the leadership of Gillamac who has been placed in position as head of the CPPO just more than a month ago.  (FREEMAN)