CEBU CITY – Fewer cases of violence against women and children have been noted in Central Visayas from January to June this year.
The Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO 7) reported that in the first half of this year, cases of violence against women and children in the region dropped by 64.44 percent.
Data from the Regional Women and Children’s Protection Desk showed that so far this year, only 629 cases of violence against women and children have been reported, compared to the 1,769 in the same period last year.
Police Brig. Gen. Roque Eduardo Vega, chief of PRO 7, welcomed the significant drop which he attributed to the active enforcement of community development programs.
“The strict implementation of laws against women and children resulted in fewer cases of abuse of women and children in Central Visayas this year. In collaboration with our local government units, our policewomen at the Women and Children’s Protection Desks engaged in community development programs to address issues on gender equality and discuss women empowerment, especially in the provinces,” said Vega.
Meanwhile, the PRO-7 solved more than half of the crimes reported to them in the first half of this year as it posted a Crime Solution Efficiency (CSE) of 52.82 percent and a Crime Clearance Efficiency (CCE) of 97.83 percent.
The top-performing police office in CSE is the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) with 78.17 percent followed by Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) with 70.37 percent. The Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) ranked third with 55.29 percent.
For CCE, the top performers are the Siquijor Police Provincial Office, MCPO, and CCPO with identical 100 percent. The CPPO ranked second with 99.61 percent while the Bohol Police Provincial Office placed third with 99.09 percent.
CCE is the percentage of cleared cases out of the total number of crime incidents while CSE refers to the percentage of solved cases out of the total number of crime incidents for a given period of time.
A case is considered cleared when at least one of the offenders has been identified; there is sufficient evidence to charge him; and he has been charged before the prosecutor’s office or any other court of appropriate jurisdiction. Included in this category are solved cases.