Crimes down 70% during APEC – DILG

MANILA, Philippines - The crime rate dropped by 70 percent during the week Metro Manila hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported yesterday.

Quoting a report from the PNP Directorate for Investigative and Detective Management (DIDM), Interior and Local Government Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento said there were only 282 crimes reported in Metro Manila from Nov. 16 to 22.

Metro Manila had an average of 919 reported crimes per week before Oplan Lambat-Sibat, the PNP’s anti-crime campaign, was implemented in June 2014, he said.

The APEC summit, held from Nov. 17 to 20, was attended by close to 9,000 participants, including 21 heads of state.

On Wednesday, Sarmiento lauded all police commanders for securing the summit and the success of Oplan Lambat-Sibat.

Meanwhile, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said most thefts in the metropolis still happen in shopping centers.

This prompted PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez to deploy more police officers at malls with a month to go before Christmas.

Marquez also said the PNP has not monitored any specific threat even as text messages circulated yesterday about a plot to attack a mall within the week.