The Philippine National Police reported Friday that the country's total crime volume dropped from 1 to 20 December this year, while its crime solution efficiency increased year-on-year.

PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin said that for the 20-day period, 9,108 crime incidents were reported, 14.42 percent lower than the 10,643 cases in the same period last year.

The eight so-called focus crimes also decreased for the period by about 30 percent from 2,330 in 2021 to 1,636 this year, according to Azurin, citing Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management data.

Murder, homicide, physical injury, robbery, theft, vehicle theft, motorcycle theft and rape are the "focus crimes" based on PNP and National Police Commission definition.

"Among the eight focus crimes, the top three most prevalent crimes from 1 to 20 December 2022, were theft, rape, and physical injury with recorded cases of 609, 262, and 211, (respectively), which is lower than the previous year with 710, 567, and 331 cases respectively," Azurin said.

The PNP chief surmised that the drop in the crime volume may be the result of the maximum deployment of police personnel across the nation, especially for the holiday season.

"Likewise, the implementation of (the) KASIMBAYANAN Program, in collaboration with our religious sector, and the simultaneous launching and rollout of (the) BIDA Program (Buhay ay Ingatan, Droga'y Ayawan) by SILG (Secretary of the Interior and Local Government) Atty. Benjamin C. Abalos Jr. Further, the decrease can also be attributed to the aggressive anti-illegal drugs campaign by the government," he said.

Crime solution efficiency for 2022 has also improved year-on-year, according to Azurin, something which he attributed to the PNP's E-Projects, such as the e-Rouge, e-Blotter, and e-Warrant.

Based on DIDM data, the crime solution efficiency this year improved by 3.93 percent to 82.47 percent, from last year's 78.54 percent.

"I commend all the members of the Philippine National Police for doing their job excellently, which led to these accomplishments," Azurin said.

"Amid the great odds and overwhelming challenges, we assure the public that we will sustain the momentum and further improve our deliverables for the benefit of our main clientele, the Filipino people," he added.