M09crimerate
MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/09 July) – Bukidnon’s crime rate from January to June 2010 decreased by 54 percent compared to the same period last year, provincial police director Senior Supt. Nerio Bermudo said.
Bermudo said 4,245 incidents were reported in the first half of 2009 but only 1,951 in the same period this year.
Index crimes went down from 2,444 to 1,611 cases or a decrease of 823 cases. Non-index crimes dropped from 1,801 to 340 cases, he added.
The police official, who presented the figures to the Provincial Peace and Order Council in its meeting on July 8, the first under the administration of Governor Alex Calingasan, attributed the decrease to checkpoints and police visibility during the election period.
Calingasan responded by urging Bermudo to continue the checkpoints and other measures the police implemented during the election period.
But Bermudo also reported that their crime solution efficiency was also cut by what for him was an insignificant figure, from 20.37 percent in 2009 to 19.32 percent in the same period in 2010.
He said most of the reported crimes occurred in Malaybalay City (665), Valencia City (441), Manolo Fortich (83), and Pangantucan (83).
Index crimes include crimes against persons like murder, homicide, physical injury and rape, as well as crimes against property such as robbery and theft.
Non-index crimes cover crimes against persons like parricide/infanticide, maltreatment and kidnapping. These also include crimes against property (estafa and falsification, malicious mischief and damage to property), crimes against morals and order, and crimes against chastity.
Bermudo added that Bukidnon’s top three crimes from January to June 2010 were theft, physical injury, and robbery.
There were 564 cases of theft, 451 cases of physical injury and 322 cases of robbery.
Bermudo attributed theft and robbery incidents to hunger and poverty.
The rest of the top index crimes include murder (87 cases), cattle rustling (76 cases), and theft of vehicles (70 cases).
Homicide and rape comprised 1.64 percent and 1.12 percent of the index crimes, respectively.
Meanwhile, malicious mischief, illegal possession of firearms, and assault topped the list of non-index crimes.
Bermudo said that of the 70 incidents of thefts of vehicles, 48 involved motorcycles.
Police have arrested 23 suspects of these crimes, he added. (Walter I. Balane/MindaNews)