PNP: Car thefts drop by 30% in 2017

MANILA, Philippines — Car theft cases in the country dropped by 30 percent last year, records from the Philippine National Police (PNP) showed.

Data from the PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG) said 5,363 carjacking incidents were recorded in 2017, which is 30.16 percent lower compared to 7,680 car thefts that took place in 2016.

Most that were stolen are motorcycles at 4,939 while the rest are four-wheeled vehicles at 424.

In Metro Manila, carjacking cases dropped by 50.95 percent, from 1,513 thefts in 2016 to 742 last year.

Second is Northern Mindanao where carjacking incidents dropped to 385 in 2017 from 694 in 2016, a decrease of 44.52 percent.

The HPG attributed the decrease to the anti-criminality efforts of police units in the field.

“We intensified operations against carnappers we have monitored,” Jabagat said in a text message.

Doubling efforts on proactive measures such as informing the public on how to keep vehicles safe from carjackers also contributed to the decrease, she added.

Car thefts in Central Visayas also went down by 41.89 percent, from 728 in 2016 to 423 in 2017.

Other notable decreases are in Central Luzon where car thefts declined by 27.06 percent, from 1,271 in 2016 to 927 last year, and  Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) where carjacking cases went down to 878 last year from 1,019 in 2016, a decrease  of 13.83 percent.

Meanwhile, carjacking cases in Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos) spiked by 23.70 percent, from 405 in 2016 to 501 last year.