Focus crime went down by 37 percent in Western Visayas in the first 15 days of this month compared to the same period last year, a regional police official said on Tuesday, Aug. 18.

Police Brig. Gen. Randulf T. Tuaño, director of the Police Regional Office 6, attributed the decline to what he described as sustained police visibility, preventive operations, and the continued cooperation of communities in the region.

“The decrease in focus crimes is encouraging and reflects the consistent work of our personnel, together with the cooperation of our communities. But we also recognize that there are still areas that need our attention, and we will continue working on them,” Tuaño said.

From August 1 to 15, he said they recorded 56 focus crime incidents, down from 89 during the same period in 2025.

The biggest reductions, according to Tuaño, were recorded in homicide and motorcycle theft, both of which posted a 100 percent decrease, with no cases recorded during the period compared with six homicide cases and two motorcycle theft cases last year.

This was followed by rape, which declined by 63.64 percent, or from 22 cases to eight; murder, down by 60, or from five to two; robbery, which decreased by 35.29, or from 17 to 11; and theft, down by 13.04 percent, from 23 to 20.

Tuaño emphasized that the positive trend should be sustained through continued police-community cooperation.

“We want to keep this progress going. Our police officers will continue to be present and responsive, while we ask our communities to continue working with us, reporting incidents and concerns, and helping us keep our neighborhoods safe,” he said.