ILOILO CITY – Police recorded fewer crimes in the Western Visayas region during Christmas and New Year.
FIREWORKS illuminate world famous Boracay Island on New Year’s Eve. (Summertide.PH)
The Police Regional Office-6 said they logged 907 criminal incidents from Dec. 16 to Jan. 1 in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental provinces as well as the highly urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod, 28.24 percent or 357 fewer than the 1,264 recorded in the same period last year.
Police added that the number of eight focus crimes – murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, carnapping of motor vehicle, and carnapping of motorcycle – in Western Visayas this holiday season also went down by 69.32 percent. Only 54 incidents were recorded in 2024 compared to the 176 in 2023.
Police Lt. Col. Arnel Solis, PRO-6 spokesperson, attributed the decline to deployment of enough police officers and cooperation with other stakeholders.
PRO-6 Director Police Brig. Gen. Jack Wanky is hopeful about this year.
“As we face the new year, it is with optimism that we can perform better as we are forging a stronger partnership and collaboration in all our peace and order and public safety endeavors.”