CAMP B/GEN OSCAR M FLORENDO, La Union — The Police Regional Office 1 reported on Monday that crime rates in Ilocos region’s four provinces have significantly decreased and now enjoy a generally peaceful atmosphere.

According to PRO1 director B/Gen. John Chua, the decrease in crime rates can be attributed to the agency’s intensified and coordinated crime prevention and law enforcement efforts last year.
Region 1 covers Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan.

Chua said that the PRO1 has logged 1,174 crime incidents or 12 percent less from 9,521 crimes reported in 2021 and 8,347 recorded in 2022.

On the campaign against Most Wanted Persons, Chua reported that 798 persons were arrested out of 1,179 target Most Wanted Persons, reflecting a 68 percent performance evaluation, while 3,770 other wanted persons were arrested out of the 421-monthly target from the total of 4,207.

Chua also disclosed that a total of 890 police operations were conducted, resulting in the arrest of 1,050 drug suspects, significant confiscation of 1,371.7469 grams of shabu, 9,296.6963 grams of marijuana and four tablets of ecstasy netting a total of P10,358,498.76 worth of illegal drugs.

He lauded the members of PRO1 for their dedication in maintaining peace and order in the region and acknowledged the valuable contributions of other law enforcement agencies and community partners in achieving these successes through the whole-of-nation approach.

“These accomplishments are the results of extensive coordination and partnership of PRO1 with other government agencies with the cooperation and support of the entire community,” Chua said.