PRO-7 policemen attend a flag-raising ceremony in this file photo. | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A total of P4.4 billion worth of suspected shabu were seized in Central Visayas with 55, 547 arrested drug suspects in the last six years.
In a press statement released on Friday, July 1, 2022, Police Brigadier General Roque Eduardo Vega, Police Regional Office Central Visayas (PRO-7) director, said effective policing strategies have helped in the all-out war on illegal drugs in the past six years, or during the Duterte administration.
The drug arrests were from the 40,227 police operations conducted in the region from July 2016 to June 2022.
Of the said operations, authorities also yielded at least 614.22 kilos of ‘shabu’ and 2, 373 kilos of dried marijuana.
In total, PRO-7 accumulated P4.4 billion worth of illegal drugs.
Significant improvement
Aside from that, Vega said that they have also noted a downtrend in the crime incidents in the region, particularly the eight focused crimes which are murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, carnapping of vehicles, and carnapping of motorcycles.
“A significant improvement in the peace and order situation in Central Visayas was recorded with a notable 22 percent decrease per year,” the statement reads
“Crimes against property, the most prevalent crime in the region, had a significant decrement from 2016 to June 2022, with 1,803 cases dropping or a 25 percent decrease per year,” the press statement further reads.
Further, Vega said that a total of 90 erring police personnel in the region were dismissed from service for various violations. At least 28 personnel were also demoted and 217 were suspended since July 2016.
With this, Vega challenged all the personnel under his leadership to continue this development in the peace and order in the region.
“With the new administration, PRO-7 conjointly breathes our unifying spirit of “Service, Honor, and Justice,” Vega said.
/bmjo
READ: Lapu-Lapu drug bust: P102Mshabu seized; 2 men nabbed