Wage ‘gritty’ war on crime, Marcos orders nat’l police

President Marcos ordered the Philippine National Police to wage a war against crime “street by street, block by block” to ensure peace and order in the country.

“One crime is committed, and one crime too many has occurred. The war against crime cannot be won from war rooms with their glitzy monitors,” the President said during the ceremonial oath-taking of star-rank PNP officers inside Malacañan Palace yesterday.

“It is won street by street, block by block, by guts, by grit, by police officers who pound the beat and patrol the neighborhood whose people hold them in high esteem,” he added.

The President said despite the decrease in crime incidents, the disturbance these cause would still be immeasurable.

Citing PNP data, Mr. Marcos said crime decreased to 198,617 in 2023 from 207,143 in 2022.

The President also directed the PNP to beef up its cyber defense and anti-cybercrime efforts.

“Let us leverage technology that aids in protecting and serving our people. Especially in battling, for example, the latest threat that we have is cybercrime, where the emerging and evolving digital landscape faces threats that can undo its potential contribution to national growth,” he said.

“All breaches in our digital correspondences and transactions are inimical to the people’s welfare and national interest…Cybercriminals also prey on the innocence of our young, by stealing their dignity, and the vulnerabilities of our seniors, who are defrauded of their life savings,” the President added.

In a command conference last month, Mr. Marcos expressed alarm at the 53.34 percent jump in cybercrime cases from 13,890 in 2022 to 21,300 in 2023, highlighting the need for improved prevention, detection, and investigation methods.

PNP data showed that from July 2022 to January 2024, online scams accounted for a whopping 15,937 cases, followed by illegal access (4,821 cases) and computer-related identity theft (2,384 cases).

The PNP, for its part, proposed the creation of a dedicated Cybersecurity Center that would be responsible for monitoring, detecting, protecting against, mitigating, and responding to cybersecurity threats and incidents within the PNP’s own ICT infrastructure.

Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline Crime rates down but PNP must not fall into complacency—Marcos

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