MANILA — Technology and a well-motivated police force drove down crime in Metro Manila, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar said Tuesday.
“The advent of new technology such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, GPS (global positioning system) and tracking devices, smart phones and social media are also significant contributors in the decrease of the said crime rate,” Eleazar said in a statement, noting the marked decrease in crime for the first half of the year as compared to the same period last year.
Eleazar said the new technology provided easy access for reporting any relevant information to the police. This, he said, helped the police perform “efficient and successful response operation.”
The NCRPO said the implementation of local ordinances and national laws also helped minimize crimes.
“This drive precisely prevents petty violations of local ordinances and hinders possible crime incidents (from) happen(ing). The Team NCRPO had been the working force in the strict observance and implementation,” he added.
On Monday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said crime rate decreased to 25 percent for the first six months of 2018 compared with the same period last year.
“For the first two years of July 2016 to June 2018, the crime rate under the Duterte administration as compared with the last two years of July 2014 to June 2016 of the Aquino administration, the crime rate has gone down by 49 percent,” the PNP added added.
Aside from technology, the NCRPO said the government’s relentless war on drugs has been proven effective.
Since July 2016 to June 2018, the NCRPO has recorded a total of 233,896 drug users and pushers, who surrendered to the authorities. Also, 48,886 were arrested and jailed while 1,590 were neutralized during the police operations.
“Evidently, the less number of drug addicts on the street equates to lesser criminal activities and criminal incidents. The drug addicts as expected will always find ways to get money in order to satisfy their physical and psychological craving for illegal drugs. To some extent, they are forced to steal, rob shops and innocent people on the streets, barge into homes, in worst cases have to assault, hurt and even kill their victims to get money to buy illegal drugs. Consequently, the government’s effort to intensify its campaign against illegal drugs through the PNP has been an effective tool to lessen such crime,” the NCRPO said.
The NCRPO added that police presence, better pay for law enforcement officials, improved information dissemination, and the internal cleansing policy initiated by former PNP chief Ronal Dela Rosa were also among key factors in driving down crime.