A RECENT opinion survey held by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) came up with findings that are both encouraging and challenging.
In its 2016 fourth-quarter survey held December 3-6 last year, the SWS reported that a record-low 4.9 percent of the respondents – equivalent to 3.1 million families – reported that they had been victims of crime. This was lower than the 6.8 percent in the previous September, 2016, survey – about 4.2 million families.
The Presidential Communication Office welcomed the finding that fewer people reported being victimized by criminals.
It is an indication that the Duterte administration is winning the fight against crimes and drugs, Secretary Martin Andanar said.
The same survey, however, showed that more people were afraid robbers may break into their homes and feared being held up at night. The number increased from 62 percent in September to 63 percent in December. Those who felt that streets were not safe at night increased from 53 percent to 54 percent.
These are minor increases, it is true, but increases, nevertheless. The fear is still there. Crime in homes and in the streets remain a major concern to the people.
Unfortunately, these fears are up at a bad time for the Philippine National Police (PNP) which is the principal government agency concerned with the problem of crime. In the last six months, the PNP was in the forefront of the campaign against drugs in the country, until last week when President Duterte – angered by the involvement of some PNP officials in the kidnap-murder of a South Korean businessman – decided to remove the PNP from the anti-drugs drive. This is now in the hands of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority, with assistance from the military.
Meanwhile, the PNP will undergo a thorough clean-up and revamp.
It is unfortunate that the actions of a few in the PNP have soiled the name of the entire organization which the Constitution conceived of as a police force “national in scope and civilian in character.”
Along with its internal clean-up drive, the PNP should undertake a special campaign against crime in the nation’s homes and streets. Succeeding quarterly SWS surveys will show how successful it is in this mission against crime, which is, after all, its principal reason for being.