Data from the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management showed that crime incidents nationwide surged to 885,445, 46.6% higher than the 603,805 recorded in 2014.

Nearly one-third of the crime volume during the first half of the year were so-called “index crimes,” a category that include the likes of homicide, murder, physical injury, rape, robbery and theft.

From January to June this year, the number of index crimes reached 352,321, including 6,607 homicides, 7,245 murders, 192,906 cases of physical injuries, 8,288 instances of rape and 30,856 robberies. The remaining 533,124 crime incidents were deemed “non-index crimes” or those that involved violation of special laws, including ordinances.

Crime prevalence can be attributed to two major factors -- a justice system which is weak in penalizing heinous crimes and the inherent corruption in government offices which permeates through the country’s police force, anti-crime watch group Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) said.

“We have no effective system to penalize violators especially heinous crimes. We should bring back the death penalty on these kinds of criminals,” Dante Jimenez, VACC’s founding chairman, said in a phone interview, emphasizing that the capital punishment must be meted out in cases of rape, illegal drugs, human trafficking, kidnapping and carnapping.

“The corruption of our politicians affects the salaries of our policemen. This is what pushes some police officers to accept bribes and become corrupted. It also doesn’t help that the funds that should go to developing the capacity of our police force go to greedy hands,” he added.

Mr. Jimenez also warned that the situation will only worsen as the election period approaches, citing that violence and intimidation is a common occurrence during this time.

Source: Business World Online

Sought for comment, PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Wilben M. Mayor has no ready explanation what might have caused the spike, citing that an explanation from the ground commanders first would be necessary to arrive at a logical explanation.

However, the PNP official said that the police force would continue implementing its anti-crime programs, including the Operation Plan “Lambat-Sibat,” a campaign the PNP designed to net petty criminals.

For his part, Henry J. Schumacher, executive director of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, said: “Businesses expect police to provide a secure environment in which to operate. If this is not provided, businesses will go elsewhere.”

The spike in crime was recorded at a time when the 150,000-strong police organization was without a permanent PNP chief, during which PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director-General Leonardo A. Espina took the helm of the country’s police force.

It was also before the appointment of Director-General Ricardo C. Marquez as the new PNP chief by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) last Tuesday, July 14. On Thursday, Mr. Marquez formally assumed office after Mr. Espina retired.

In a text message, John D. Forbes, senior adviser of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, said that the business sector will keep an eye on the new police chief, hoping that Mr. Marquez would be “more professional and successful” than his predecessor.

“We welcome the new leadership of the PNP and support the ongoing modernization and expansion of this important national government agency,” Mr. Forbes also said.

In his assumption speech on Thursday, Mr. Marquez ordered several policy changes and reforms, including the immediate and systematic dispersal of police officers from the national, regional and provincial offices to the different police stations nationwide to help with doing patrols.

The newly minted police chief also vowed to go after rogue cops and misfits, colloquially known as “scalawags.”