‘W. Visayas crime rate drops’

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – The crime rate in the Western Visayas region has dropped from January to September this year, according to records from the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6).

The number of crimes reported from January to September dipped to 97,403 cases from 126,297 incidents during the same period last year, representing a reduction of 23 percent.

Chief Superintendent Josephus Angan, PRO-6 director, attributed the decline to prevention, response operations and strategy in crime suppression (PROSICS) program, the accounting of fugitives, the serving of warrants, and the continuous operations against loose firearms, illegal drugs, gambling, car theft and other illegal activities.

Angan said PRO-6’s crime solution efficiency also improved from 10 percent in 2013 to 15.59 percent this year.

The region’s crime clearance efficiency increased from 16.69 percent in 2013 to 17.07 percent this year.

Aside from PROSICS, Angan attributed PRO-6’s performance to good relations between the police and the community.

“They contribute a lot in the fight against crimes. We focused on the reduction of crimes and increase in crime solution and clearance efficiency,” he said.