Bohol enjoys 15% 

Crime volume dip 

TAGBILARAN CITY, March 2 (PIA)—Crimes in Bohol continue its notable downtrend since December 2017, registering a significant reduction of 276 cases since last year, a notable 15% decrease. 

In a report delivered before the Provincial peace and Order Council and the Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council (PADAC) in its meeting Wednesday, Bohol Provincial Police Office led by Police Senior Superintendent Angeles Genorga showed the December 2017 total crime volume peaking in the prior three months at 654. 

By January 2018 however, Bohol police noted total crime volume sliding down a bit to 101 cases less, with 556 for the opening month of the year. 

By the middle of the month, BPPO effected a change of command, ushering in the administration of PSSupt Genorga from the able leadership of PSSupt Felipe Natividad. 

Supt. Natividad capped his tour of duty with a spectacular performance against the incursion of the terrorist members of the Abu Sayyaf and the stellar police security rendered in the Bohol hosting of at least five international conferences and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings in 2017 and early 2018. 

Hitting the ground running, Genorga whose mission badge included top-notch criminal investigation and detection, immediately set up command conferences, demanding the best from the members of the force. 

If these conferences have paid off, the crimes registered in February could be a telling indicator. 

From 654 in December and 555 in January, crime trends in Bohol dipped further to 378, police records showed. 

This constitutes some 57.79% decrease in the last two months. 

And for the first time in recent crime volume monitoring history, police have noted a significant decrease in non-index crimes in the last three months. 

Index crimes in December of last year reached 462, a figure that was dragged down to 384 in January to 267 in February, according to Camp Dagohoy reports. 

The figure is similar to the total crime volume down trend of 57.79%. 

Genorga, in his first few days at the help of the police force ordered police presence in the streets and getting into Oplan Sita. 

Oplan Sita is the police operational plan flagging motorists and checking on their driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations. 

An alarming trend in crimes in Bohol in the past year showed traffic related incidents, which have dragged Bohol criminality situation into negative perception. 

As to index crimes which are those that are punishable by the Revised Penal Code and those which makes police a reactive force, records showed similar down plunging trend at 192 in December to 171 and sagging further at 111 in February 2018. 

A similar 57.81% dip in index crimes is again noted in January. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)