PNP News Releases 2005

PNP ON TOP OF PEACE AND ORDER SITUATION

“Look at the bigger picture, not just crime statistics for one month.”

This was the reaction of PNP Chief, Director General Edgar B Aglipay, to published reports of a “crime wave” that swept the country in September this year.

Aglipay said it is outright unfair to judge his performance even on the basis of a one-month period, and on the basis of a single criterion, the index crime rate.

Besides, the published reports erred in making a comparative monthly analysis of crime rates recorded in two separate months of the same year without considering the factual trend that some “seasonal crimes” actually increase at the approach of the holiday season.

Index crimes are crimes committed against a person or property such as murder, homicide, physical injuries, rape, robbery and theft.

Figures compiled by the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) said there were 3,998 index crimes in September, as against 3,600 in August, or an increase of 398 crime incidents.

But, if the September 2004 crime figures will be compared with the September 2003 record, Index Crimes in Metro Manila showed a decrease of 6%, from 966 Index Crimes in September 2003, down to only 907 Index Crimes in September 2004.

“My performance should be evaluated on the basis of how the entire C.A.R.E. program is being implemented,” Aglipay said. Under the C.A.R.E. program, which stands for Courtesy, Action, Results, and Example, Aglipay has launched a crackdown on rogue cops involved in extortion and other criminal activities. He has also sent lazy, abusive, rude and undisciplined members for retraining and values formation.

“The C.A.R.E. program is a holistic and comprehensive reform program. It aims to significantly bring down the crime rate by requiring police chiefs to set clear targets in neutralizing criminal syndicates as well as petty criminals in their areas of jurisdiction,” Aglipay explained.

Moreover, he said, the reform program will “streamline the organization and upgrade the competence and skills of the officer corps and rank-and-file, so there will be greater efficiency in the delivery of police services.” Aglipay said the C.A.R.E. program ultimately seeks to restore the people's trust and respect for the police force.

The PNP Chief revealed that he would convene a Command Conference on December 4 to assess the current peace and order situation, evaluate his first 100 days in office, and map out key strategies for dealing with peace and order problems for the remainder of the year.