• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Crime incidents in Negros Island Region (NIR) dropped due to the five-minute emergency response policy of the Philippine National Police (PNP) after it was implemented from June 2 to July 31.
Cases went down from 1,834 cases in June to July last year to 1,688 for the same period this year.
In a media briefing on Monday (Aug. 18), PBrig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, regional director of Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region, said the region’s crime clearance rate was logged at 95 percent, with crime solution efficiency recorded at 85 percent.
The eight focus crimes, including murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, carnapping of vehicles, and motorcycles theft, decreased from 178 to 166 or by 12 incidents.
“This tells us that a fast, visible, and strategic response is working to deter crime, disrupt offenders and resolve incidents quickly,” Ibay said.
The PNP explained that while the five-minute rule is strictly enforced in cities where police are just nearby, it is not always realistic in remote areas.
It is now refining its five-minute emergency response policy to ensure it is applied with common sense and tailored to local conditions.
“Our bottom line is that outside areas covered by the five-minute rule, we want the police to arrive within a reasonable time,” PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III earlier said.
PRO-NIR records, however, indicated an increase in public safety indicator by 26 incidents, from 571 to 597, which mostly involved vehicular accidents.
Ibay explained it does not necessarily mean that the roads have become more dangerous.
“It shows that more people are now reporting accidents through 911, knowing that police can arrive within minutes,” he added.
Stressing that their work is far from done, Ibay said they will continue to refine their patrol staging, improve road safety measures, and strengthen partnership with communities.
“The five-minute response time is more than a target – it is a commitment to be where we are needed, when we are required, in the shortest possible time”, he added. | GB
