Crimes involving loose firearms are on the rise in Cebu City, according to the Regional Investigation and Detection Management Section of the Police Regional Office-7 last week.
Senior Supt. Henry Biñas, RIDM chief, said the Cebu City Police Office recorded 213 crimes involving loose firearms for the first semester this year compared to 152 crimes in the same period last year.
“Based on our profiling of shooting incidents, most victims were alleged drug users or selling drugs who failed to remit,” said Chief Insp. Aileen Recla, head of the Cebu City Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB).
Despite this, Recla said Cebu City remains peaceful and safe.
The Cebu City Police Office also recorded 4,000 crimes in the first semester of this year or an increase of 13 percent from 3,539 crimes in the same period last year.
Decline
In contrast, six other Cebu police offices recorded a decline in crime incidence.
Cebu province registered a 30 percent decrease of crimes, while Mandaue recorded one percent and Lapu-Lapu with 18 percent decrease in crimes.
Central Visayas registered a 25.5 percent decline in crime rate volume from 39,649 in the first six months of last year to 29,553 crimes in January-June this year.
“Actually gihugtan nato ang atong checkpoint (We have strengthened our checkpoint) and centralized our deployment,” Recla said.
Recla said their checkpoints resulted in the confiscation of “paltik” guns mostly coming from Danao City, northern Cebu.
Recla also said they are strengthening their campaign to encourage gun owners to register their firearms.
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