MANILA, Philippines — The crime volume in Metro Manila has dropped by nearly 17 percent, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
PNP records showed that a total of 109,079 crimes were recorded from Nov. 10, 2020 to Jan. 23. The number is lower by 16.8 percent compared to 131,230 crimes logged from Sept. 5, 2019 to Nov. 9, 2020.
The figure covers eight crimes: homicide, physical injury, robbery, theft, vehicle theft, motorcycle theft and rape.
“These forms of crime saw a significant drop because of the partnership that our police personnel built with the communities,” PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos said in a statement.
“The locals learned to be more proactive in reporting potential threats so these can be suppressed even before a crime can happen,” Carlos added.
Cases of physical injuries posted the biggest drop of 51.7 percent from 1,934 to 934.
Theft cases went down to 3,756 from 4,494, or a decrease of 16.4 percent. Robbery cases dropped by 21.9 percent, from 2,052 to 1,603.
The number of motorcycle theft declined by 25.2 percent, from 836 to 625. Car thefts decreased by 16.2 percent from 172 to 144.
Murder cases also posted a significant decrease of 23.8 percent, from 802 to 611. Homicide incidents dropped by 20.8 percent, from 221 to 175.
Incidents of rape declined to 1,241 from 1,315, for a reduction of 5.6 percent.
Maj. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr., director of the National Capital Region Police Office, commended the public’s trust in the police.
“We assure our commitment of serving and protecting our community around the clock,” he said.