During the entire watch of former President Rodrigo Duterte, crime incidences as recorded by the Philippine National Police dramatically dropped by 60 percent.
PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo in Daily Tribune’s Gising Na! program interview on the status of crime and the police campaign against drugs said significant drops were recorded in both aspects from the lockdown period which started in 2020.
“Based on records for the past six years or from 2010 to 2016 to 2022 during the term of our former President Duterte, numbers have dropped by more than half,” she said
Fajardo said the campaign against illegal drugs has been intensified to further lower the crime statistics.
Although incidences of criminal activities decreased overall, robbery still grew during Mr. Duterte’s term.
P8-B netted
Fajardo also noted that the war on drugs became one of the most important PNP campaigns during the period prompting President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos to acknowledge its success and his vow to continue the drive.
Fajardo added that in PNP’s continued campaign, the thrust will be “on supply reduction.”
“In the past few years, we confiscated large volumes of illegal drugs worth a total of about P8 billion,” she added.
In the Marcos administration, Fajardo stated that the PNP will focus more on rehabilitation, reformation, and education of users of illegal substances.
She also explained that in the fight against drugs, the police also needed to look at rehabilitation that, however, requires coordination with local government units to build or allocate rehabilitation facilities where a drug dependent can enter for free.
Education is one of the key parts of the campaign. An education program is being developed through the joint efforts of the Department of Health and Department of Education.
Now that schools are about to open, education programs for the youth against Illegal drugs should be strengthened.
The cooperation between the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Philippine National Police resulted in the recent huge hauls of illegal drugs and marijuana.
High-value individuals including foreigners arrested during recent raids is a good sign that the anti-narcotics program has become effective.
Fajardo also explained the policy and procedure of the PNP, including the engagement and the policy of the PNP to implement maximum tolerance during police operations.