Crime incidents in Davao Region down during election week

DAVAO CITY — The Police Regional Office-11 (PRO-11) has reported a decline in the number of crime incidents in Davao Region during the May 12 to 19 election period.

A PRO-11 report from May 12 to 19 released Thursday showed that crime incidents decreased to 31 from 44 incidents during the week from May 6 to 11.

Based on the monitoring of the Regional Investigation and Detection Management Division, the offenses focused mostly on eight crimes: murder, homicide, physical injuries, rape, robbery, theft, car theft, and motorcycle theft.

Brig. Gen. Marcelo Morales, PRO-11 chief, said the full security coverage paid off in reducing the number of crime incidents and ensured a peaceful and fair election across the region.

"All in all, Police Regional Office 11 noted a generally peaceful situation and despite some untoward incidents and delays in the opening of polling precincts in some areas, the 2019 mid-term polls in Davao Region was a huge success,” Morales said.

Morales said the success of elections in Davao Region was also the  result of the close collaboration by the different units within the security sector.

He also emphasized the importance of conducting a regular check on the progress of the station commanders, making sure they are achieving their target goals.

"I make sure that I, and the rest of the Command Group, will be informed of what's going on in the field so that whatever issues and problems we can rectify immediately and we can look into solutions," he said.

Morales also cited the continued crackdown against "all forms of criminalities, strict enforcement of city and municipal ordinances, and implementation of the Oplan Dabaw Kalinaw, the gun ban, and other strategic approaches to addressing criminality in the region." (PNA)