COTABATO CITY – The police provincial office's proactive approach against illegal drugs and petty crimes resulted in the reduction of crime volume during the first half of this year in Maguindanao, a police spokesperson said Monday.
Senior Insp. Jemar Delos Santos, Philippine National Police - Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PNP-ARMM) spokesperson, lauded the Maguindanao PNP provincial office, led by Senior Supt. Edwin Wagan, for the accomplishment, a first in the province for the past five years.
From January to May, Maguindanao only recorded 166 index crimes, or about 38 percent lower compared to 268 index crimes committed during the same period last year.
Delos Santos said non-index crime was 280 or 25 percent lower as compared to 375 cases last year.
Index crimes, as defined by PNP, involve crimes against persons such as murder, homicide, physical injury and rape, and crimes against property such as robbery, theft, carnapping/carjacking, and cattle rustling.
Non index crimes include negligent manslaughter, non-aggravated assault, forgery and counterfeiting, fraud, embezzlement, stolen property, vandalism, weapons, prostitution and common law vice, sex offenses, narcotic laws, gambling, offenses against family & children, driving under the influence, liquor laws or put simply crimes that does not directly involved life and death of a person.
Chief Supt. Graciano J. Mijares, PNP-ARMM regional director, attributed the improvement to the massive police campaign against criminality and illegal drugs.
Mijares assured the public that the police "will continue to move forward and defeat the crime offenders” in the region’s five provinces and two cities.
The ARMM comprises the cities of Lamitan and Marawi, and the provinces of Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan and Lanao del Sur. (PNA)
