CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet - Police authorities here reported that the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) posted a decreasing crime volume during the first semester of this year compared to the same period last year while the crime volume nationwide showed an upward trend.
Chief Supt. Villamor Bumanglag, director of the Police Regional Office (PRO) in the Cordillera, disclosed that the crime volume during the first half of the year in the region dropped by 11 percent or from 7,064 cases from January to June last year to 5,416 cases for the same period this year.
Also, Bumanglag cited that the average monthly crime rate dropped by 38.07 percent from 91.34 from January to June last year to 53.27 for the same period this year.
For the recorded index crimes, physical injuries topped the list with over 88 percent, followed by rape, murder and homicide with five, four, and three percent, respectively.
Bumanglag reported that the crime solution efficiency of the regional office improved by 5.64 percent from 7.19 percent last year to 12.83 percent for the first half of this year.
According to Bumanglag, the significant accomplishments of the PRO-CAR for the first six months of this year include the confiscation of 123 loose firearms, which led to the arrest of 109 persons and the filing of 93 cases.
Bumanglag claimed the aggressive and relentless joint operations of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) comprising the Task Force Abra led to the arrest of 36 private armed group members, confiscation of 33 firearms and the filing of 23 cases in the proper courts.
