CRIMES DROP DURING MASSKARA FEST. Senior Supt. Francisco Ebreo, acting director of Bacolod City Police Office, reports on the peace and order situation during the 39th MassKara Festival in a press conference on Monday afternoon (October 29, 2019). (Photo by Nanette L. Guadalquiver)
BACOLOD CITY -- Index crimes, or crimes against persons and properties, in this city decreased by 28.57 percent during the 21 days of the 39th MassKara Festival, police report showed.
Senior Supt. Francisco Ebreo, acting director of Bacolod City Police Office, said in a press conference on Monday afternoon that from Oct. 8 to 28 this year, only 45 focus crimes were reported, a decrease of 18 incidents from 63 in the previous year’s festival period from October 1 to 22.
“We usually gauge the peace and order situation of a certain place in terms of index crimes,” Ebreo said.
Index crimes, also known as the eight focus crimes, include murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, carnapping, and motorcycle theft.
In this year’s festival, no homicide and carnapping incident was reported. Also, robbery decreased by 30 percent -- from 10 to seven -- while theft was reduced by 32.14 percent -- from 28 last year to only 19 in 2018.
Ebreo said that in assessing the peace and order situation during the 39th MassKara Festival, the “figures speak for itself”.
“Last year, there was a decrease of only one incident. This year, it’s huge, it’s 18. That’s our target, to reduce index crime incidents by 30 percent, which we achieved,” he said.
The Bacolod police chief attributed the lower crime rate to the cooperation of the police personnel deployed during the festival as well as support of the Police Regional Office-Western Visayas, the Bacolod city government, the force multipliers, and the media.
A total of 3,194 personnel secured the highlights week from Oct. 22 to 28.
These included 1,866 policemen, including 572 organic personnel of Bacolod City Police Office, and 1,294 augmentation forces from PRO-Western Visayas in Iloilo City and Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office.
Ebreo said during the 21-day festival this year, operations against illegal drugs increased by 767 percent after the police conducted 26 compared to last year’s three.
He noted the festival period in the previous year was the time when the Philippine National Police was directed to cease participation in the anti-drug operations.
Records showed that from Oct. 1 to 28 this year, the Bacolod police seized PHP2.619 million worth of suspected shabu in 37 operations. (PNA)
