Index crimes in Metro Manila went down by 46 percent in the first 15 days of May compared to the same period last year, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said.
NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Anthony A. Aberin said the decline was an offshoot of the strategic police operations and visibility, checkpoint activities, and anti-criminality campaigns in various parts of the metropolis.
The presence of policemen in the community, according to Aberin, is a big boost to the peace and order goal of the NCRPO.
“Our first and fundamental duty is to prevent the occurrence of crimes and we can only do that effectively and consistently if we have a police force that is seen, heard and felt by the community,” said Aberin.
From 287 crimes under the 8 Focus Crimes reported from May 1-15 in 2024, Aberin said it went down to only 155 this year.
The 8 Focus Crimes are composed of crimes against persons— murder, homicide, rape and physical injury; and, crimes against properties— robbery, theft, carnapping and motorcycle theft.
Aberin said there was a notable decrease across all categories of the 8 Focus Crimes, which are considered key indicators of public safety.
Rape cases, he said, has the sharpest drop at 76 percent, followed by physical injuries at 50 percent. Cases of murder went down by 38 percent while homicide by 43 percent.
Robbery and theft also decreased by 39 percent and 37 percent, respectively, while carnapping of motor vehicles dropped by 100 percent and motorcycles by 13 percent.
“These figures highlight the effectiveness of NCRPO’s anti-criminality operations and the strong coordination among its units across Metro Manila,” said Aberin.
In addition to the sharp decline in crime volume, Aberin said the NCRPO also posted improvements in its case-handling performance— Crime Clearance Efficiency (CCE) remained consistently high at 90.97 percent, while Crime Solution Efficiency (CSE) rose from 67.60 percent to 76.13 percent.
“These gains underscore NCRPO’s strengthened investigative efforts and its sustained drive to ensure swift and effective resolution of criminal cases,” said Aberin.
“The NCRPO assures the public that it remains fully committed to strengthening its law enforcement initiatives and working hand-in-hand with all sectors to ensure safer communities throughout the National Capital Region,” he added. (Aaron Recuenco)
