By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – Crime rate in Metro Manila decreased by 46 percent in the first 15 days of May, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) reported on Friday.
In a statement, NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin said a total of 155 crime incidents were recorded from May 1 to 15, from 287 incidents in the same period last year.
Despite heightened demands of election duties, Aberin said NCRPO personnel remained steadfast in carrying out police operations, checkpoint activities, and anti-criminality campaigns.
He attributed the drop in the crime rate to enhanced checkpoint operations, increased police visibility, active patrolling and intensified law enforcement activities.
Aberin said the decline was notable in eight major crime categories, with rape cases seeing the sharpest drop at 76 percent, followed by physical injuries at 50 percent, murder at 38 percent, homicide at 43 percent, robbery at 39 percent, and theft at 37 percent.
Theft of motor vehicles dropped by 100 percent while motorcycle theft declined by 13 percent.
These figures highlight the effectiveness of NCRPO’s anti-criminality operations and the strong coordination among its units across Metro Manila, Aberin said.
In addition to the sharp decline in crime volume, the NCRPO also posted improvements in its case-handling performance.
Crime Clearance Efficiency (CCE) remained consistently high at 90.97 percent, while Crime Solution Efficiency (CSE) rose from 67.60 percent to 76.13 percent, reflecting an 8.53-percent increase.
These gains underscore NCRPO’s strengthened investigative efforts and its sustained drive to ensure swift and effective resolution of criminal cases.
“Our first and fundamental duty is to prevent the occurrence of crimes and we can only do that effectively and consistently if we have a police force that is seen, heard and felt by the community,” Aberin said. (PNA)
