Members of the civil society and law enforcement agencies in Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental Wednesday called for the strengthening of collaboration among community sectors in helping law enforcement agencies in fighting criminality.
The call was sounded during a forum on human security and peace held at the Marian Priests’ Center of the Cathedral compound and spearheaded by the non-government organization Affirmative Action for Good Governance (AAGOGO).
Attended by key officials of the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Army, the forum, held in cooperation with the Philippine Information Agency, aims to address the perceived rising crimes in the capital city of Dumaguete and the province of Negros Oriental.
Acting PNP provincial director Supt. Alet Virtucio and Supt. James Goforth, Dumaguete police chief, appealed to the general public that crimes cannot be solved alone by government law enforcers and local officials.
They cited the important role of civil society in addressing safety and security issues and concerns, noting that in many instances, the “indifference” of many people during the occurrence of a crime hampers their investigation.
One of the persistent problems law enforcers face when a crime is perpetrated is the seemingly lukewarm attitude of the public in providing probable information vital to the solution of a crime, said Supt. Virtucio.
According to him, police personnel are giving their best efforts in the investigation and solution of crimes, however, the PNP can only do so much with their limitations such as funding, equipment and lack of personnel, among others.
Supt. Goforth shared the same sentiment as Supt. Virtucio’s, noting that City residents tend to be indifferent when a crime takes place in their area, especially if the victims are not personally known to them.
During his presentation, the city police chief stressed that every individual has a role to play in deterring crimes.
He gave tips on safety and security and emphasized that a vigilant community will lead to a reduced crime rate as well as a deterrent to lawbreakers.
It is a social responsibility for everybody to improve the peace and order conditions in the city as he called on the public to work hand in hand with the law enforcers for a common goal.
Supt. Goforth disclosed that theft and robbery topped the list of index crimes perpetrated in Dumaguete. Citing statistics for the period from Jan.1 to June 30, Supt. Goforth disclosed a total crime volume of 484 to include 362 index crimes and 122 non-index crimes.
Index crimes are those that are perpetrated by individuals or groups and are punishable under the Revised Penal Code, while non-index crimes are criminal offenses whereby police have exerted more effort and initiative in crime prevention and which consist of non-physical confrontation.
The latest data made available showed that for index crimes cases, theft ranked first (194), followed by robbery (69), carnapping (48), physical injuries (32), murder (13), homicide (4), rape (1), and cattle rustling (1).
Non index crimes include child abuse cases (30), illegal drugs (21), violence against women (10), illegal gambling (7), loose firearms (4), and others (50).
Supt. Goforth disclosed that this year’s crime volume for the first and second quarters has almost doubled at 484 compared to last year with an estimated 200 for the same period.
He assured this is an honest-to-goodness reporting as he attributed the increase to more police efforts in crime prevention.
Atty. Whelma Yap of AAGOGO also stressed that the community’s involvement is an important factor in crime prevention.
The indifference of the community is perceived to be due to lack of understanding the processes and roles of the police in addressing criminality.
She warned that those who refuse to cooperate with the police can be charged with obstruction of justice.
Atty. Yap also said that it is understandable that some people decline to provide the police with vital information on a crime for fear of retaliation.
Yap said the community must be more active and vigilant against the perpetration of crimes as it could happen to a family member, a relative or a friend.
For his part, City Administrator William Ablong also appealed to the private sector to help the city government in providing financial assistance to the police.
He disclosed that the city government still had debts amounting to P600,000 from last year’s fuel allocation to the city police force.
Providing financial aid to the city police would mean increased patrols, visibility and checkpoints, among others, he added. (PNA)
