Pro-active policing results

In 8.36% up crimes count

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol Jan 12 (PIA) –Total crime incidents in Bohol in 2023 inched up about 8.36% over 2022, but Bohol Provincial Police Office chief says, it’s not what you think it is.

Reporting the over-all crime situation comparative for Bohol’s 2022 and 2023 terms, Police Senior Superintendent Lorenzo A. Batuan said a more proactive police force spreading anti-crime campaigns, human rights advocacies and enhanced police presence has facilitated a crime reporting system that helped law enforcement.

In previous years, crimes of rape, especially when these are incestuous, drug personalities in communities as well as criminals are easily busted when communities start to get actively engaged with the police, explains Police Captain Girlie Tolop while helping Colonel Batuan, when asked why crimes are up.

Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) crime statisticians note that from January 1 to December 31, 2022, total crimes logged in police blotters across the province reached 5,679, according to Batuan.

In 2023, for the same period, BPPO noted 475 more cases, which makes up for the 8.36% increase.

Broken down, in 2022, crimes that affect the peace and order situation reached 2,639, which also increased in 2023 by 72 cases, equivalent to 2.73%.

Crimes which are punishable by the Revised Penal Code, or those 8 crimes focused by the police would show in fact that from 803 cases in 2022, it sunk to 766 or some 37 cases lesser for a 4.61% crime decrease, Col Batuan explained.

Crimes punishable by special laws like gambling, illegal drugs, illegal fishing, illegal logging, carnapping, violence against women and children, those in the RPC other than index crimes also increased by 232 cases or 20.90%, courtesy of the police more pro-active efforts at crime fighting, Col Batuan pointed out.

He also showed that in 2022, police initiated anti-crime operations numbered 762, while in 2023, the count bloated to 1,028.

To illustrate, Col Batuan cited 2022’s 433 cases, which with more organized police operations, netted 660 cases, some 227 cases over the previous year.

As to crimes affecting public order and safety, from 3,040 in 2022, crime fighters note a much bigger of 13.26% caused by the 403 more cases.

These include 233 cases of damage to property reports, over the 1361 cases in 2022 to 1594 in 2023, and another 181 cases over the 1588 cases of physical injuries report on 2022 to 1769 in 2023.

As to homicide, police note a 12.09% decrease or some 11 cases from the 91 cases in police blotters in 2022 now at 80 cases.

Over all these, Bohol police explained that the facilitated reporting of crimes following advocacy campaigns could spur complaints of past crimes, but these are not necessarily crimes that happened within the time of reporting. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

NO CAUSE FOR ALARM. Police Colonel Lorenzo Batuan, Bohol police provincial director explained that the increase in crimes could also be because police are more active in initiating anti-crime operations, rather than wait for crimes to happen. Speaking before PPOC members, Col Batuan added that the Bohol police to population ratio is 1:1000+, so that Bohol needs more communities to help the police serve and protect its citizens. (PIABohol)