Crime in Makati down — police

Crime in Makati City has dropped over the last three years, the Makati City police disclosed yesterday.

Reported crimes slid to 430 in 2006 from to 435 in 2005 and 597 in 2004.

Meanwhile, the police’s crime solution efficiency slightly rose to 95 percent in 2006 from 94 and 93 percent in 2005 and 2004, respectively.

Makati police chief Superintendent Gilbert Cruz said indexed or high priority crimes — such as murder, homicide, physical injuries, robbery, theft and rape — dropped to 237 in 2006 from 324 and 402 in the previous years.

Non-index crimes or minor misdemeanors, on the other hand, rose to 190 from 111 in 2005.

In a report to Mayor Jejomar Binay, Cruz attributed the crime drop to stepped up crime prevention efforts and the continuous assistance given by the city government.

Binay commended the Makati police for its performance in maintaining law and order in the city and assured the city government’s continued support.

Binay earlier called for a special security conference, in which he ordered Cruz to step up operations in maintaining peace and order.

Binay ordered for the deployment of more plainclothes officers to patrol the central business district, believing that the 10 additional mobile patrol cars, 25 motorcycles and handheld radios provided by the city government should prove useful.

He also expressed high hopes that the Makati Command Center will greatly enhance the city government’s ability to quickly respond to emergencies as it is capable of receiving and responding to emergency calls anywhere in Makati on a 24-hour basis.

Cruz has been implementing new and innovative programs and approaches to keep crime down.