The main headquarters of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office. (PNA file photo by Nef Luczon)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The city police has credited the effectiveness of Project "Amplified Anti-Criminality Recorida for Orderly Neighborhood” or Project Aaron for the decline in the crime rate here.
In a statement Wednesday, Lt. Col. Surki Sereñas, the city police’s deputy director for operations, noted that since the implementation of the program in July, the crime rate has dropped to an average of seven crimes weekly this month.
Police data showed that from January 1 to July 9, the city had an average of 10 crime incidents daily.
During the period, 268 crimes were reported, mostly theft, physical injuries, and robbery.
"Project Aaron is a proactive approach to crime prevention, which preempts crime by enforcing local ordinances, laws on mendicancy, smoking in public, vandalism, and littering, among others,” Sereñas said.
He said Project Aaron is complemented with "Oplan Rekisa (frisking)", conducted nightly in nightclubs, bars, and other crime-prone areas.
Sereñas said the strategy is an adaptation of Singapore's subsidiary legislation on discipline, such as a ban on chewing gums, littering, and smoking in public. (PNA)
