By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz
The number of Filipino families who said they have been victimized by common crimes within the past six months has diminished, based on the third quarter of 2019 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey results.
In the nationwide survey conducted from September 27 to 30 with 1,800 respondents, SWS found 5.6 percent or an estimated 1.4 million families reporting victimization by any common crimes, such as pickpocket or robbery of personal property, break-ins, carnapping, and physical violence, within the past six months.
SWS noted that the latest figure is 1.4 points below the 7 percent or about 1.7 million in June 2019.
Except in March 2013 and June 2016 when it was at 10.5 percent and 11.4 percent respectively, SWS further pointed out that victimization of families by any common crime has been at single-digit levels from March 2012 to September 2019.
The September 2019 survey found 5.2 percent (1.3 million) of families reporting victimization by any of the property crimes (pickpocket or street robbery, burglary or break-ins, and carnapping) within the past six months.
It is lower than the 6.2 percent (1.5 million) in June 2019.
Except in June 2016 when it was at 10.9 percent, victimization by property crimes has been at single-digit levels from March 2012 to September 2019.
The survey also found 3.4 percent (846,000) of families victimized by street robbery during the past six months, down from 4.4 percent (1.1 million) in June 2019.
It also found 2.6 percent (640,000) of families victimized by break-ins, down from 3.3 percent (823,000) in June.
Among families owning any type of motor vehicle, the survey found that 0.3 percent (40,000) were robbed of it in the past six months, slightly lower than the 0.4 percent (44,000) in June.
The survey likewise found 0.5 percent (133,000) of families with members hurt by physical violence within the past six months, down from 1.2 percent (287,000) in June.
SWS noted that quarterly victimization by street robbery fell in Visayas, from 4.3 percent in June 2019 to 1.3 percent in September 2019.
It also went down in Metro Manila, from 9.7 percent to 8 percent, as well as in the rest of Luzon from 3.3 percent to 2.9 percent.
However, it rose slightly in Mindanao, from 3.3 percent in June to 3.6 percent in September.
With regard to quarterly victimization by break-ins, it was down in Visayas from 3.3 percent in June 2019 to 2.3 percent in September 2019.
It also fell in Metro Manila from 5.7 percent to 2.7 percent, as well as in the rest of Luzon from 3.7 percent to 3.1 percent.
However, it increased slightly in Mindanao from 1.3 percent to 1.9 percent.
During the survey, SWS found that none of the vehicle-owning sample families in Metro Manila experienced carnapping in September 2019, down from 4.4 percent in June 2019.
Also, there has been no case of carnapping among vehicle-owning sample families in the Visayas since December 2018.
However, quarterly victimization by carnapping among vehicle-owning families went up slightly in the rest of Luzon, from zero case in June to 0.7 percent in September.
It also rose slightly in Mindanao, from zero case in June to 0.1 percent in September.
As regards quarterly victimization by physical violence, the number of cases was down in Mindanao from 2 percent in June 2019 to 0.6 percent in September 2019.
It also fell slightly in the rest of Luzon from 1 percent to 0.2 percent.
It however stayed at 1 percent in Metro Manila from June 2019 to September 2019.
However, it rose slightly in Visayas from 0.7 percent to 1 percent in September.
In the third quarter survey, SWS also found that six in 10 adult Filipinos or 59 percent were fearful of burglary, up by four points from the 55 percent in June 2019.
By area, the proportion of those fearing burglaries remained highest in Metro Manila at 65 percent, followed by the rest of Luzon at 63 percent, Mindanao at 54 percent, and Visayas at 52 percent.
Compared to June 2019, fear of burglaries rose by eight points from 55 percent in the rest of Luzon, by seven points from 47 percent in Mindanao, and by one point from 51 percent in Visayas.
However, it fell by four points from 69 percent in Metro Manila.
SWS also noted that 47 percent of Filipinos are fearful of walking the streets at night, up from the 46 percent in June 2019.
By area, the proportion of those fearing unsafe streets were highest in Metro Manila at 49 percent, followed by Visayas at 48 percent, rest of Luzon at 47 percent, and Mindanao at 45 percent.
Compared to June 2019, fear of unsafe streets rose by four points from 41 percent in Mindanao, and by two points from 45 percent in the rest of Luzon.
However, it fell by three points from 52 percent in Metro Manila, and by one point from 49 percent in Visayas.
The survey likewise found 38 percent noticing many drug addicts in the neighborhood, unchanged from June 2019.
Families fearing the presence of many drug were highest in Metro Manila at 51 percent, followed by the rest of Luzon at 38 percent, Mindanao at 35 percent, and Visayas at 31 percent.
Compared to June 2019, fear of many drug addicts in the area fell by 10 points from 41 percent in Visayas, and by one point from 52 percent in Metro Manila.
It stayed at 38 percent in the rest of Luzon, but rose by eight points from 27 percent in Mindanao.