PALO, Leyte — The Philippine National Police announced on Sunday that crime volume in the Eastern Visayas region has dropped to 14 percent this year following the intensified campaigns of the police force against criminality and drug-related crimes.
The Police Regional Office 8 reported a "significant" drop in criminality in the region from January-July this year as compared to the same period of last year.
Latest crime data shows that crime incidents from January to July drops to 5,038 incidents as compared to last year's 5,861 incidents covering the same period, which marks a significant decline of 823 incidents or a 14.04 percent decrease in crime incidents in the region.
The PRO 8 also reported that non-index crimes showed a notable decline of 44 percent from 200 to 113 incidents in Biliran; 42 percent decrease from 541 to 312 incidents in Eastern Samar and 42 percent decrease from 188 to 109 incidents in Ormoc City.
Meantime, the Leyte Police Provincial Office recorded the highest decrease in the numbers of crimes from 1415 last year to 1032 this year of the same period or a reduction of 383 incidents.
PRO 8 regional director P/Brig.Gen. Rommel Marbil credited the decrease in crime volume to the sustained campaigns against criminality in all levels of the PNP.
"The significant decrease in crime incidents indicate a growing peace, order and security in all of Eastern Visayas which connotes that the entire police force is putting its best foot forward in the aspect of crime prevention," Marbil said.
In other developments, drug enforcement teams from Catbalogan City and Samar province conducted a joint buy bust operation in coordination with Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency that led to the arrest of a college student.
The police reported that 27-year-old Jose Paulo Tuazon, a second-year college student, was found possessing three pieces of heat-sealed plastic sachets containing white crystalline substance suspected to be "shabu" which was forwarded to the PNP Forensics Unit for laboratory examination.
Samar Police provincial director P/Col. Peter Limbauan said the PNP will continue with its anti-drugs operations and put the violators to jail.
