PNP CHIEF Gen. Archie Gamboa on Wednesday said the overall crime rate nationwide went down by as much as 60 percent during the first 36 days of the enhanced community quarantine, compared to the same number of days before the Luzon lockdown took effect last March 17.
In an interview over dzMM, Gamboa said this was because most people heeded the government’s call for them to stay at home to curb the spread of the infectious novel coronavirus.
People at home can look after their properties, he said.
Police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, Task Force COVID Shield commander, said that in Luzon, there was a decrease of 65 percent in overall crime rate, from 2,851 incidents from February 10 to March 16 to 985 incidents from March 17 to April 21.
In the Visayas region, Eleazar said there was a decrease of 55 percent, from 1,340 incidents to 597 during the same period; while crimes in Mindanao went down by 50 percent during the same period, from 1,066 to 532 incidents.
Overall, he said crimes went down during the period by 60 percent, from 5,257 incidents to only 2,114.
Eleazar said police have also apprehended a total of 139,831 ECQ violators from March 17 to April 21, of which 101,426 were just warned; 6,264 were fined; 7,251 were charged in court; while 1,927 are still detained in various police stations.
He said the PNP also arrested 738 individuals for selling overpriced items essential to fight COVID-19, such as face masks, alcohols, and thermal scanners from March 17 to April 21.
CHECKPOINT TROUBLE
A policeman shot dead an armed retired soldier who reportedly created trouble at a quarantine control point in Barangay Pasong Putik, in Quezon City on Tuesday afternoon.
Brig. Gen. Ronnie Montejo, Quezon City Police District director, identified the fatality as a certain Winston Ragos, 34, a resident of 65 Sampaguita street in barangay Pasok Putik.
Reports said the incident happened at around 2 p.m. when Ragos approached a checkpoint at the corner of Maligaya Drive and Sampaguita street and reportedly told one of the four police trainees from the PNP Highway Patrol Group, “Ang sama ng tingin mo. Anong problema mo? (I don’t like the way you look at me. What is your problem?),”
Police Master Sgt. Daniel Florendo, who responded to the police trainees’ call, asked Ragos to stay calm and to raise his hands but instead of complying, he tried to pull out a handgun from his sling bag. Sensing danger, Florendo pulled out his service firearm and fired two shots, hitting Ragos in the body.
Ragos was brought to the Commonwealth Hospital where he later died.
The QCPD criminal investigation and detection unit is now conducting an investigation into the incident.
They recovered the black sling bag which contained a .38 caliber revolver with no serial number loaded with four bullets, assorted IDs, and ATM cards.
