4 M families were victims of crimes in Q4 – SWS

MANILA, Philippines - About four million Filipino families fell victim to various crimes and violence in the last quarter of 2014, according to the latest survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The SWS poll, taken from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, found 6.7 percent adult respondents (an estimated four million families) saying they or their kin fell victim to common crimes, involving either property or physical violence.

There was an average of 12 crimes for every 10 victimized families based on the SWS survey, results of which were published in the newspaper BusinessWorld yesterday.

The number of families victimized by crimes, however, dropped by 1.2 points from 7.9 percent (estimated 4.7 million families) in the September 2014 survey.

The latest figure puts the 2014 average common crime victimization rate at a new annual record low of 7.5 percent, which is 1.1 points below the 8.5 percent average recorded in 2013, the SWS said.

It said 6.2 percent or an estimated 3.7 million families lost property, down by 0.9 percent from the 7.1 percent (estimated 4.2 million) in the third quarter.

It also found 0.7 percent of respondents (about 424,000 families) who said they or their family members were hurt by physical violence. This is lower than the 1.2 percent (estimated 735,000) recorded three months earlier.

The 2014 average for victimization by physical violence of 0.8 percent is also a new record low, surpassing the previous record of 0.9 percent in 2013, the pollster said.

Types of crimes

An estimated three million families or five percent said they were victimized by pickpockets in the past six months, down from 5.5 percent (estimated 3.3 million) in the third quarter, SWS said.

It found 2.3 percent (an estimated 1.4 million families) saying they were victims of burglary, down from 2.6 percent (estimated 1.6 million) in September.

Some 137,000 or 0.7 percent of respondents said they lost their vehicles to carjackers, from 0.9 percent (estimated 173,000) in September.

“Except when it was at 10.5 percent in March 2013, victimization of families by common crimes has been at single-digit levels since March 2012, reaching as low as 6.5 percent in June 2014,” the SWS said.

Neighborhood fears

Despite the decline in the number of crime victims, the SWS noted in its report that “neighborhood fears stay high.”

The December 2014 survey found 58 percent (from 60 percent in September) expressing fear that robbers may break into their houses, 48 percent (from 51 percent) saying they are usually afraid of walking on the street at night, and 52 percent expressing fear of drug addicts.

The SWS said the 2014 annual average fear of burglary of 59 percent is just a point below the record-high annual average of 60 percent in 2013.

It said fear of unsafe streets at night of 49 percent was up by a point from the 2013 average and is also the highest since the 2008 average of 50 percent.

The 2014 average fear of drug addicts went up to a new record-high at 52 percent.

The SWS noted that victimization by common crimes reported in its surveys is much higher than the number of crimes reported to the police.

Since 1989, the SWS has been asking respondents of each quarterly survey whether any household member became a victim of theft outside the home, home break-in or violence in the past six months. In 1992, the SWS added motor vehicle theft to its list of crimes monitored.

The SWS survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,800 adults nationwide and has sampling error margins of plus or minus two percentage points for national percentages; plus or minus six percentage each for Metro Manila, balance Luzon and Mindanao; and plus or minus three percentage points for the Visayas.