Bohol: lesser crimes 

in '17 against 2016

TAGBILARAN CITY, January 31 (PIA)--Total crime volume in Bohol in 2017 decreased 3.42% from 2016, a strong indication of Bohol's collaboration of sectors in its continued efforts to keep Bohol business friendly and a peaceful place to live in. 

Based on the reports read by Bohol Provincial Police Office Camp Dagohoy chief Police Senior Superintendent Angeles Geñorga, the collaborative efforts of the police, military and the task force Dagon which was created solely to help expand the peace-keeping responsibilities to communities, resulted to a reduction by 277 crime cases from 2016. 

During the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) Meeting held January 29 held at the Governor's Mansion, PSSupt Geñorga who assumed office as the new Bohol Police top cop, immediately promised for the police under his command to make the initiative in the next four months to further reverse or reduce the crimes. 

Index crimes, or crimes against the Revised Penal Code reached 2,846 by 2016; this dipped with the 325 cases less, to 2,521 by 2017, the new Bohol police chief who comes from Bicol pointed out. 

As to non index crimes, or crimes which are punishable by special laws, these reached 5,240 in 2016, and then the non-index crimes in 2017 went up to 5,288, as the police crime statisticians noted 48 cases more this year. 

Although the top three crimes in 2016 were still the same issues in 2017, robbery, which is exerting force upon things was lowered to 1,022 from 1,293 in 2016. 

From 792 cases of physical injuries in 2016, the figure went down 737 by the next year. 

The new chief particularly took a look at the cases of cattle rustling, which reached 18 cases in 2017 from 13 in 2016. 

"A farm animal is a great help to a farm family and it becomes a concern as this will definitely impact on the lives of the farmers," Geñorga who used to head regional offices of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Groups at the Cordillera Autonomous Region said. 

The new police chief who assumed command January 15 at simple rites in Camp Dagohoy, also noted the unusually high cases of traffic related incidents. 

In the case of Bohol, in 2016, traffic related incidents reached 2,289 cases which translates to over six traffic incidents in a day. By 2017, the figure even reached 2,701 or 7.4 accidents in a day. 

Himself having completed stints with the United Nations and having gone to places far and wide, he also noted in his visits to the town stations that young riders are taking to the streets here. 

Top causes of traffic related incidents in 2017 are over-speeding at 309, premature overtaking at 257, improper turns at 246, aggressive driving at 201, driving under the influence of liquor at 197 and untrained driving at 118. 

Over this, Supt. Geñorga said the police would initiate steps to further arrest the already alarming statistics on traffic related incidents, a non index crime that nevertheless, tells investors and tourists how Boholanos bring about the daily life operations. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

New Bohol police chief Angeles Geñorga, who allocated his first weeks visiting Bohol police stations noted that young riders driving vehicles are taking over the streets. These young people who are unlicensed, are untrained and do not know much about traffic rules, leading to accidents. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)