BAGUIO CITY – The Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) reported the crime rate in the city continues to decrease following the implementation of various programs, projects and interventions by the city police force to sustain the peace and order situation that has placed the country’s Summer Capital’s one of the peaceful cities not only in the country but also in the Southwest Asian region over the past years.
BCPO City Director Police Col. Allen Rae Co disclosed that from January to the later part of October this year, the total crime volume in the city was 1,850 compared to the over 2,500 crimes committed in the different parts of the city during the same period last year.
In terms of non-index crimes, the total recorded crimes for the prevailing period is only 1,423 compared to the previously reported crimes that reached over 2,500 while index crimes that were documented for this year is only 396 compared to the 427 crimes recorded during the same period last year.
Non-index crimes are those crimes related to the implementation of special laws and local ordinances governing various offenses while index crimes are those reported crimes against persons and crimes against properties.
The police official attributed the significant decline in the city’s crime volume to the implementation of various peacekeeping interventions coupled with the cooperation of the public on the strict implementation of laws, rules and regulations governing the maintenance of law and order in the different parts of the city.
He assured that despite the significant reduction in the city’s crime volume during the first ten months of the year, the city police force will remain steadfast in the sustained implementation of peacekeeping initiatives to further improve the peace and order in the city.
According to him, the city police force is also preparing for the expected influx of more domestic and foreign visitors to the city during the Yuletide season with Baguio remaining as one of the preferred tourist destinations in the country during this time of the year because of its cool climate.
The police official urged concerned sectors of the city to continue their vigilance in providing assistance to the city police force in ensuring law and order in the city because the peace and order situation of certain place is one of the gauges used by tourists when selecting the places that they intend to visit.
For the past several weeks, he noticed there had been a heavy influx of visitors to the city coming from the different parts of the lowlands and other parts of the Cordillera that has kept the local tourism industry vibrant but has allowed them to work extra hard to maintain peace and order so as not to affect the image of the city as a prime tourist destination in the country but more to ensure the safety of both residents and visitors.
By Dexter A. See
