Traffic-related crimes dip 

amid quarantine in Bohol

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, July 5 (PIA) -- Not a series of police anti-traffic operations and simultaneous roadblocks have produced the same results as that which happened after the scare of the corona virus disease (COVID-19) has limited the movement of people out on the streets. 

Since last year, the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) members have been asking police authorities to deal with the increasing traffic-related incidents. 

It could be the police checkpoints and the strict no back-riding policy or the random flagging down of motorists that have discouraged motorists from going out in the streets due to the quarantine, as the police reports drastic decrease in traffic-related incidents in the first half of the year.

In a report from Camp Dagohoy and delivered for the Boholano community by Sr. Police Officer 4 Francis Briones at the Kapihan sa PIA, he pointed out that traffic-related incidents slowed to nearly a crawl in the last three months, as if hitting a series of speed bumps.

Briones, representing Police Sr. Supt. Joselito Clarito and the Police Community Affairs Branch of Camp Dagohoy, came along with Police Sr. Master Sergeant Liezl Diola at the Kapihan to call for stronger community partnerships with the police in crime fighting and health crisis control.

Briones pointed out that from January to March, police noted some 892 total vehicular accidents, a figure which soon slowed down to 325 accidents from April to June.

The decrease of about 567 accidents is a 63.57 percent decrease from the first three months when police presence in the streets was limited.

Of the 892 vehicular accidents in the first three months, 454 came out injured, 413 walked out unharmed, but 25 were killed, according to reports.

By April to June, of the 325 vehicular accidents, 147 received injuries, 167 walked out generally unharmed, while 11 involved in the accident died.

Overall, as to physical injuries caused by traffic-related incidents, police noted a 68 percent drop in incidents.

As to damage to property caused by traffic-related accidents, in the beginning months, from 413 incidents, the figure went down to 167 or a drastic 60 percent decrease.

As to traffic-related homicide, when 25 people were not as lucky in the beginning months of the year, by April to June crime blotters recorded only 11 cases of homicide.

Asked how this happened, Clarito and even Briones agreed the presence of the police in the streets, road blocks, and checkpoints as well as constantly flagging motorists and checking on their proper documents have kept most vehicles off the streets.

In fact, according to Camp Dagohoy, they have apprehended and counseled 892 drivers in violation of the quarantine guidelines issued by the Department of Transportation. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

LICENSE, REGISTRATION AND QUARANTINE PASS, PLEASE. WIth the unified and strict implementation of the passes and traffic rules, Bohol police scored a huge victory in curbing traffic crimes and related incidents, reports SPO4 Francis Briones of Camp Dogohoy's Police Community Relations Branch here. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol) 

Police credits quarantine check-

points for crime drop in Bohol

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, July 5 (PIA) -- The establishment of Quarantine Control Points or checkpoints in Bohol from the provincial to the barangay levels has been credited in the drop of the number of crimes here. 

This sums up the assessment issued by Camp Francisco Dagohoy through its chief, Police Sr. Supt. Joselito Clarito, during the joint virtual meetings of the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) and Drug Abuse Council (PADAC) last week.

This as police crime statisticians at Camp Dagohoy in Tagbilaran tracked a 36.91 percent average total decrease in crime incidents in the first six months of the year in Bohol.

In his report to the council, Clarito showed a comparative monthly trend of total crime incidents that showed a general downtrend in crimes from January to June of this year.

Based on the data which can also be seen at the Philippine National Police’s Crime Information Reporting and Analysis System (PNP-CIRAS), Clarito pointed out that total crimes as the first month ended reached 894, which went down to 850 in February.

By March, with the community quarantine measures installed in the middle of the month, crimes plunged to 716, bringing the first quarter’s total crimes to 2,460.

By April, the crime trend continued to dip to 501, even as Bohol braces for the fiesta month where by tradition, people would always tend to celebrate a year of blessings.

True to projections, in May, when every day there is a fiesta celebrated in the province, crimes rose to 622.

But the month of June came back with a huge decrease as crimes only totaled to 429, pegging a second quarter sum of 1,552 or a difference of 908 crime incidents.

To further illustrate his point, Clarito shared a graph showing comparative crime incidents on peace and order incidents and public safety incidents.

From 1,568 peace and order incidents in the first three months, it went down to 1,227 cases, nailing a 21.75 percent downtrend in peace and order incidents.

As to public safety incidents, the Camp Dagohoy chief bared that from a total of 892 in the first three months, it went down to 325 incidents in the second quarter, pegging a slump of 63.57 percent.

In another comparative graph on peace and order incidents, from 421 total index crimes in the first quarter, police statisticians observe the same dipping trend when index crimes dove to 161 incidents in the second quarter.

For non-index crimes, Clarito showed that from 1,147 crime incidents, it went down a few notches with 1,066 incidents in the second quarter for a 7.06 percent dip.

According to Clarito, “the notable decrease of total crime incidents (TCIs) especially on Index Crimes is attributed by the strict implementation of Community Quarantine Protocols through the joint efforts of the LGUs and agencies under the Security, Law and Order and Public Safety Cluster."

He cited that the establishment of Quarantine Control Points and Checkpoints from the provincial level down to the barangays is a recognizable best practice and a good example on the effectiveness of the “whole-of-community” approach in addressing crimes and crisis.

With another six months ahead of him, the Camp Dagohoy chief recommends all members of the TG Security, Law and Order and Public Safety not to be complacent in performing its functions.

He said stricter implementation of QCQ protocols shall be continued down to the barangays, hoping that LGUs and Barangay LGUs will continually support the PNP in ensuring security, peace and order and public safety in their respective area of responsibility. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

CONTROL POINTS. Control points like this helped control crimes and contained most of the people in their homes, considering that a provincewide curfew for minors and elders was set and a single household quarantine pass in effect. (PIA Bohol)