Robbery, theft cases up 26%

Cases of robbery and theft all over the country rose by 26 percent to a total of 18,054 last year, compared to only 14,407 incidents in 2001, Philippine National Police (PNP) statistics showed.

Nearly 35 percent of these thefts and robberies occurred in the National Capital Region (NCR).

These figures have prompted PNP chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. to order yesterday the advance deployment and increased posting of policemen to areas where the rate of street crimes remains high, especially in Metro Manila and Central Visayas.

Ebdane’s directive came after President Arroyo scolded the entire PNP leadership for its failure to "liberate the country’s streets" from petty crime."

"We are taking this specific action to strengthen the mechanism as a means of deterring and preventing crimes, particularly in Metro Manila and Central Visayas," Ebdane said after meeting top officers from the two areas.

Station and community precinct-based policemen will be deployed and posted in Metro Manila’s slum areas and squatter colonies, which serve as havens of petty crime and small-time crime syndicates.

"To remove the opportunity (for crime), police presence is the main thrust, with increased beat patrols and forward deployment of units.

The propagation of satellite police stations further strengthens presence when needed, where needed," Ebdane said.

He ordered all police station commanders to launch all-out operations in areas where street crime is prevalent.

Ebdane also directed PNP Community Relations Group director, Chief Superintendent Ricardo de Leon to enlist the services of barangay tanods in identifying criminal groups.

The PNP is releasing funds directly to station commanders to provide them with resources they need to improve the police’s batting average against crime.

"In consonance with the President’s guidance to deliver actual protection to our people on the street where it matters, we will patrol, respond and investigate with speed and efficiency," Ebdane said, referring to Mrs. Arroyo’s directive to bring down the rate of street crimes in Metro Manila and Cebu by 20 percent.

He also reiterated that the PNP is enforcing another of the President’s directives by canceling all permits to carry firearms outside residences, while working double-time to round up loose firearms to lessen the capability of criminal gangs to operate outside the law.

Meanwhile, the rise in street crimes has alarmed Sen. Rene Cayetano, who appealed yesterday for his colleagues in Congress to authorize the recruitment of more officers in order to boost police visibility, particularly in Metro Manila.

"We really have to increase the (police) officer-to-population ratio. The existing ratio of one officer for every 709 people is simply not enough," said Cayetano, who is in California awaiting a liver transplant.

The government has 108,000 uniformed officers watching over a population of 76.5 million.

Cayetano said in a statement that the ideal officer-to-population ratio is one officer for every 500 people — requiring the government to recruit and deploy an additional 45,000 officers.

A total of 6,147 cases of robbery and theft were reported in Metro Manila last year, up almost 16 percent from the 5,315 incidents listed in 2001.

Central Visayas, with 5,151 robbery and theft cases, had the highest incidence of robbery and theft among the regions. Southern Tagalog came in third with 995 cases.

Cases of robbery and theft — crimes against property — tend to increase during periods of extreme economic difficulties.

Sen. Manuel Villar Jr., on the other hand, said the rise in street crimes is an indication that the benefits from the national economy’s growth have not trickled down to the ordinary people.

"Alarming figures on criminality should not only serve as a wake-up call for the PNP, but for local officials and government planners as well," he said in a statement.

Villar filed Senate Bill 1002, the National Crime Database Act, which would require the National Bureau of Investigation and the PNP to provide information and records for the national identification index and the national fingerprint file.