The number of people falling prey to crime and violence continues to decline, Social Weather Stations said in a report released Thursday.
Its Second Quarter 2018 survey found 5.3 percent of the respondents, representing 1.2 million families, reporting being the victims of common crimes within the past six months.
In other developments:
• Malacañang on Thursday welcomed the SWSsurvey showingg the percentage of common crime victims at a “record-low” of 5.3 percent.
“The number of crimes has decreased and the people themselves said this,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque told reporters.
• The Philippine National Police said the results of the latest SWS survey was a testament to the merits and sincerity of the government’s campaign against crime and illegal drugs.
The crimes reported by SWS include pickpocketing or robbery of personal property, break-ins, carjacking and physical violence.
“This is 1.3 points below the 6.6 percent in March 2018 and the lowest since the record-low 3.7 percent in June 2017,” SWS said.
The survey also found a record-low 0.2 percent of families who reported members being hurt by physical violence within the past six months.
This was 0.4 point lower than the 0.6 percent in March 2018 and is 0.1 point below the previous record-low of 0.3 percent in June 2011 and June 2014.
Of those who reported to have had family members who had been victims of physical violence, the respondents said the victim was male.
The survey also found 5.1 percent or around 1.2 million families lost property to street robbery, break-ins or carjackers within the past six months.
This was 1.0 point below the 6.1 percent in March 2018 and the lowest since the record-low 3.1 percent in June 2017.
Up to 61 percent of those who said a family member had been a victim of pickpocketing or robbery of personal property said the victims were women.
Families fearing burglaries fell by 12 points in Mindanao, from 54 percent in March 2018 to 42 percent in June 2018, the lowest since the 40 percent in September 2007.
Fear of burglaries, however, hardly changed in the Visayas, from 52 percent in March to 53 percent in June and rose by 9 points in Metro Manila, from 60 percent in March to 69 percent in June and in Luzon, from 52 percent in March to 58 percent in June.
Fear of unsafe streets went down in Mindanao, hardly changed in the Visayas and Metro Manila but rose in Luzon.
Families fearing the presence of many drug addicts in their area fell by four points in the Visayas, from 41 percent March 2018 to 37 percent in June 2018.
This perception slightly rose in Balance Luzon, from 39 percent in March to 40 percent in June and increased by 5 points in Mindanao, from 33 percent in March to 38 percent in June.
It likewise rose by three points in Metro Manila, from 51 percent in March to 54 percent in June. with Nat Mariano