Angeles crime rate down 46%

• Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2015/09/08/angeles-crime-rate-down-46-429101
• Tuesday, September 8, 2015

(AC-CIO/with reports from Sharmaine Gacutara and Raica Zia Pasion)

ANGELES CITY -- Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan lauded the efforts of this city’s Peace and Order Council for consistently working on the reduction of criminality in the city.

At the council's assembly at the City Hall last Tuesday, Angeles City Police Office Director Senior Superintendent Eden Ugale said that the city recorded a 46 percent decrease in the comparative crime statistics of the total index and non-index crimes.

That is a 3,941 total crime volume (TVC) for the period of January to August 2014 down to 2,130 crimes in January to August 2015.

He added that the said significant decline in the city's criminality rate is part of the enforcement, intensification, and mobilization of police personnel and surveillance programs.

"We were able to improve our committee relations activities by encouraging residents to take part in our anti-criminality advocacies," said Ugale.

The council also released statistics on some of the mostly reported criminal activity in the city.

Reports show that robbery in the city is down by 46.20 percent with 329 cases in 2014 to just 177 in 2015.

Also, a significant decrease of 48 percent and 25 percent were recorded for the crimes of theft and physical injuries respectively.

Further, a total of 542 suspects for various crimes were apprehended by the ACPO. About 161 of these were caught due to drug trafficking.

Physical injury has the most number of offenses committed for the index crimes with 36.46 percent, followed by theft with 33.92 percent, robbery with 15.51 percent, carnapping with 8.41 percent and rape with 3.68 percent.

Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan urged the council to encourage more civilians to join the city in this crusade of alleviating forms of crimes in the city.

"Let us continue what we have started. Our programs against criminality are taking effect and I salute everyone who is with us in making Angeles a safe and liveable city for everyone," Pamintuan said.

"I warn these criminal elements, Angeleños are now more vigilant. Soon we will be having our very own command center which is a great help to further reduce crime in the city. We will make Angeles a ‘garrison’ against criminality and drug abuse," he added.