Crime volume in Cebu City has increased, but police officials were quick to explain that this does not mean the peace and order situation has worsened.
Senior Supt. Noli Romana, the city’s chief of police, said the increase in crime volume was due to an order from the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame to include vehicular accidents in the count.
Based on the records at the Investigation, Detection and Management Branch (IDMB), there were 1,081 crimes in July, 153 of them were vehicular accidents with damage to property.
Last June, there were 968 crimes with 23 involving vehicular incidents.
Chief Insp. Aileen Recla, IDMB chief, said the crime rate actually decreased last month if the vehicular accidents were excluded in the count.
Recla said street crimes have decreased because of the intensified deployment of police personnel.
Last June, a total of 304 street crimes were recorded but only 145 in July.
Pickpocketing topped the list of street crimes.
Recla did not show a more detailed records of the crime volume per station since they are still in the process of consolidating all data from the different police stations.
For the first quarter of this year, the CCPO recorded a total of 3,232 crimes: 2,089 index crimes, or crimes against properties and persons and 1,143 non-index crimes, or violation of special laws and city ordinances.
A total of 2,605 crimes were recorded in the last quarter of last year.