CAMP GEN. VICENTE LIM, Calamba City – Crime volume in Calabarzon dropped to 31,392 cases in the past eight months this year, down 5.74 percent from 33,302 cases recorded during the same period last year, according to Calabarzon Police Regional Director Chief Supt. Edward E. Carranza.
Carranza reported this to Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, Director General Oscar Albayalde, as part of regional police accomplishments and commitments to regain the glory of the PNP’s golden years – as one of the trusted agencies in the country – during Tuesday’s 117th Police Service Anniversary celebration here.
He said the regional police data also translate to the corresponding increase in crime clearance efficiency by 9.74 percent and an increase in crime solution efficiency by 12. 22 percent.
“We underscore the commitment of the police force in ridding its own rank from misfits and scalawags shaping relentless the integrity and credibility of the police organization. Today’s celebration is a celebration of victory as Calabarzon reached the peak of success as the “Best Police Regional Office” in the country with its various achievements in the field of administrative and police operations,” Carranza remarked.
He commended the men and women in uniform for a “job well done”, as they achieved the peak of success, and enjoined them to intensify their operations and heighten services to the people of Calabarzon.
He also said the campaign against illegal drugs from April to August 2018 has seen a total of 6,128 persons arrested out of the 3,869 operations and the seizure of about 13,226 grams of marijuana and 8,080.49 grams of “shabu” estimated at PHP 38.51 million from the records of the regional operations and plans division; and the campaign against loose firearms posted around 878 confiscated loose firearms in the same period.
“In support of your (Albayalde) very serious internal cleansing effort, we adopted the program “My Brother’s Keeper” and we are glad to inform you that this initiative had transformed our people into more responsible and productive members of the Police Regional Office Calabarzon,” he said.
Under the regional police’s services through community partnership, PRO Calabarzon has launched projects to engage communities, like their “Project Blue Box” to complement the Regional Director’s hotline dubbed “Pulis na mapagsamantala, Pusher na sa bansa ay Parusa…I-send mo kay General Ted Carranza”, which encourages the public to report incidents involving rogue policemen and other criminal activities.
He said Project Blue Box serves as a reporting feedback mechanism and an avenue of concerned citizens who would like to seek anonymity to report/react/comment/complain on any issues as far as the pnp is concerned.
“It is a sad reality that even up to now we still have a number of misguided personnel. Yet, we have high hopes that we will prevail because we have a President and a Chief PNP who are committed and determined to liberate our communities from the grip of criminality and lawlessness,” Carranza stressed.
As part of the regional police internal cleansing, around 74 personnel were already dismissed; 8 demoted; 139 suspended and 12 reprimanded.
He also reported the “very successful operations in our crime solution strategy” by apprehending criminals in pursuit of “sterling commitment to eradicate criminal gangs which resulted in the arrest of 24 members of the gun-for-hire and drug groups/gangs; a total arrest of some 444 provincial/municipal level/ and 1 regional level/most wanted persons and 3,235 other wanted persons from April to August 2018.
“The office is giving priority to crime prevention hence, we seek the support of various sectors of the society through the community mobilization project which is continuously being implemented in the Calabarzon region,” he said.
The Calabarzon regional police chief also reported their goal of establishing a strong and sustainable community defense system against all forms of criminality and lawlessness, citing the success story of Sta. Rosa City in Laguna.
“The organization of communities in Sta Rosa City is very successful with the support of the government sector, community and other concerned agencies in anti-crime program, where citizens are allowed to be more involved in eliminating drugs and crime at the barangay level by helping police gather intelligence and information and conduct necessary community interventions,” he said.
The program has enabled Sta. Rosa City to set up around 4,000 clustered leaders and profiled some 53,000 clustered families. (Saul Pa-a/PNA)
