Lapu-lapu City Police Office (LLCPO) personnel asks individuals caught on the street during the curfew hours to board the police mobile patrol and were brought to the police station. | Photo Courtesy of LLCPO
CEBU CITY, Philippines –The crime rate in Lapu-Lapu City for the eight focused crimes has lowered to 50 percent since the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), according to Police Colonel Clarito Baja, chief of Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LLCPO).
Baja said that within the 40 days of ECQ, they have had lower reported incidents of the eight focus crime such as robbery and theft compared to the previous 40 days before the implementation of ECQ.
“Karon, ang mostly nadakpan kay sa curfew pero dili nagyud ingana kadaghan. Ang crime rate nato ni ubos gyud wala gyud misaka as compared nimo sa number of days before,” said Baja.
(Most of those who were arrested these days are because of violating the curfew.
The usual five to eight reports of robbery and theft a week has been down to at least three incidents every other day.
Baja said that as of this time, their arrested persons were more on the violation of ECQ guidelines and liquor ban.
Since March, at least 115 individuals were apprehended for violating the liquor ban.
Read: 115 liquor ban violators nabbed in Lapu since start of ECQ — police
But Baja said since they have been filing charges and penalizing the arrested persons P500 to P1,000 if they are caught, the numbers did not grow significantly nor was there any arrests everyday.
Baja said that constant foot patrol and street presence of the policemen has been helpful in keeping the public away from going outside their houses.
On this 40th day of the implementation of ECQ, Baja said they urge the public to continue following the regulations of the ECQ such as social distancing, bringing of complete documents when going out, wearing of face masks and practicing hygiene such as washing hands with soap and constantly applying alcohol and sanitizers to fight the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019). /bmjo