CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) — Police efforts against all forms of criminality in northern Mindanao have paid off, as the Police Regional Office (PRO)-10 reported that the crimes recorded for the period, July 1-November 6, accounted for 4,960 as compared to 5,448 in the same period last year.
During the fourth-quarter Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC)-10 meeting on November 11, PRO-10 reported an average of three crimes per month for every 100,000 population in the region for July 1–November 6, much lower than the four crimes per month in last year’s tally.
The police attributed the decrease in the region’s crime volume to the anti-criminality efforts of all local government units and the establishment of police checkpoints on national highways and major thoroughfares.
PRO-10 Regional Director Jaycen C. de Guzman declared that the intelligence-driven law enforcement operations also “decisively addressed the threats posed by the lawless elements.”
Aside from addressing common crimes, all police units in the region have intensified their operations against illegal drugs, illegal gambling, online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), and loose firearms, among others.
In a related development, the issues and concerns of the “friends rescued” (FRs) from the communist terrorist groups (CTGs) were also tackled in the said meeting with retired BGen. Edgardo Y. de Leon of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) pushing for programs that would sustain stable internal peace and security (SIPS) status in areas already declared “insurgency-free.”
Camiguin Gov. Xavier Jesus D. Romualdo presided over the RPOC-10 fourth quarter full council meeting with the Department of the Interior and Local Government as secretariat. (FPG/PIA-10)
