Bacolod City Records Significant Drop in Index Crimes in 2023

BACOLOD CITY: The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) has observed a notable decrease in index crimes in 2023, with a 40.52 percent reduction compared to the previous year.

According to Philippines News Agency, the city experienced a decline in eight focus crimes – murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, carnapping, and motorcycle theft – from January 1 to December 31, 2023. The total count of these focus crimes fell to 160, a decrease of 109 incidents from the 269 reported in 2022.

The data revealed significant reductions across several crime categories. Murder cases dropped from 47 to 16, while homicide incidents remained steady at nine. Additionally, there were fewer instances of physical injury (from 17 to seven), rape (from 73 to 47), robbery (from 23 to 12), theft (from 92 to 62), and carnapping (from two to zero). However, there was a slight increase in motorcycle theft, rising from six to seven incidents.

In a telephone interview, Lt. Col. Ronnie Brillo, commander of the Bacolod City Mobile Force Company and BCPO spokesperson, attributed this decrease to effective law enforcement initiatives. These include the Philippine National Police’s ongoing mobile patrol and checkpoint operations.

Brillo highlighted the implementation of several best practices under the direction of city director Col. Noel Aliño. One such initiative is the Bacolod Police Assistance Desk (B-PAD), which, through the presence of policemen, aims to prevent crimes. Currently, there are about 25 permanent B-PADs established in various public areas across the city.

Other innovative practices include the ‘Bantay Holdaper and Akyat Bahay’ (B-HAB) program, which has been instrumental in reducing robberies and thefts. Additionally, the ‘Dial-B’ (Bacolod) initiative provides mobile phones to tanod leaders in all 61 barangays, enabling direct communication with Aliño for immediate assistance.

The BCPO also conducts monthly operation and strategy reviews to assess crime incidents, identify high-crime areas, and evaluate the effectiveness of their current strategies. This comprehensive approach has been pivotal in the significant reduction of index crimes in Bacolod City.