Crime Victims Down in Q2: SWS

MANILA — The number of people falling prey to crime and violence continue to decline, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said in a report released Thursday.

The Second Quarter 2018 Social Weather Survey found 5.3 percent of the respondents, representing 1.2 million families reporting victimization of common crimes within the past six months.

These crimes include pickpocket or robbery of personal property, break-ins, carnapping, and physical violence.

“This is 1.3 points below the 6.6 percent in March 2018, and the lowest since the record-low 3.7 percent in June 2017,” the SWS said.

The survey also found a record-low 0.2 percent of families who reported members hurt by physical violence within the past six months.

This is 0.4 point lower than 0.6 percent in March 2018, and is 0.1 point below the previous record-low of 0.3 percent in June 2011 and June 2014.

Of those who reported to have family members who had been victims of physical violence, the respondents said the victim was male.

The survey, conducted in June, also found 5.1 percent or around 1.2 million families lost property to street robbery, burglars (break-ins), or carnappers within the past six months.

This is 1.0 point below the 6.1 percent in March 2018 and lowest since the record-low 3.1 percent in June 2017.

Up to 61 percent of those who said a family member was a victim of pickpocketing or robbery of personal property said the victim were women.

Families fearing burglaries fell by 12 points in Mindanao, from 54 percent in March 2018 to 42 percent in June 2018, the lowest since the 40 percent in September 2007.

Fear of burglaries, however, hardly changed in the Visayas, from 52 percent in March to 53 percent in June and rose by 9 points in Metro Manila, from 60 percent in March to 69 percent in June and in Luzon, from 52 percent in March to 58 percent in June.

Fear of unsafe streets went down in Mindanao, hardly changed in the Visayas and Metro Manila, but rose in Luzon.

Families fearing the presence of many drug addicts in their area fell by four points in Visayas, from 41 percent March 2018 to 37 percent in June 2018.

This perception slightly rose in Balance Luzon, from 39 percent in March to 40 percent in June and increased by 5 points in Mindanao, from 33 percent in March to 38 percent in June.

It likewise rose by three points in Metro Manila, from 51 percent in March to 54 percent in June.

Malacañang, meanwhile, welcomed the SWS survey report noting that Filipinos feel safer now.

“Bumababa po ang numero ng krimen at ang taongbayan mismo ang nagsasabi nito (The crime rate is lower and the people themselves are saying so),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace briefing.

“We welcome the good news that property crime or that includes street robbery, burglars, break-in, carnapping and others fell to 5.1 percent in June 2018 compared to 6.1 percent in March 2018,” he added.

Roque also welcomed the record low 0.2 percent of families with members hurt by physical violence within the past six months.

The Second Quarter 2018 Social Weather Survey was conducted from June 27-30, 2018 through interviews of 1,200 adults aged 18 years old and above nationwide: 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The SWS report noted that the victimization by common crimes reported in SWS surveys is usually much higher than the number of crimes actually reported to the police.

The Duterte administration has earlier vowed to crack down on illegal drugs and criminality in the country. (With reports from Azer Parrocha/PNA)