The Police Regional Office 4B reported an 11.35-percent decline in crime volume in its five provinces during the first eight months of this year compared to the same period last year.

Region 4B — also known as Mimaropa — covers the provinces of Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan.

According to PRO-4B director Brig. Gen. Sidney Hernia, they recorded a total of 3,219 incidents from 1 January to 31 August 2022 compared to 3,631 in the same period last year, based on the Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division's report.

For the eight focus crimes — namely murder, homicide, physical injuries, rape, theft, robbery, carnapping, and motor theft — 514 incidents were recorded so far this year compared to 569 in the previous year, a difference of 67 or 11.77 percent of the total volume.

The crimes that showed a remarkable decrease include carnapping at 100 percent, rape at 27.87 percent, homicide at 10 percent and physical injuries at 9.19 percent.

Hernia said the crime drop was a result of the strong partnership between the police and the community, as he noted of the people's support for the anti-criminality campaigns of the Philippine National Police.