Families victimized by common crimes increased by 7.6 percent, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The SWS survey, released on Friday, showed about 1.8 million families reported being victimized by common crimes including pickpocket or robbery of personal property, break-ins, carnapping, and physical violence within the past six months.

The December figure was 1.5 percentage points above previous survey results in September 2018 with 6.1 percent. This was the highest since 7.6 percent results in December 2017, SWS said.

The latest fourth quarter 2018 survey was conducted from December 16-19, 2018 using face-to-face interviews of 1,440 adults nationwide aged 18 years old and above.

The survey found victims of crimes against property (pickpocket or street robbery, burglary or break-ins and carnapping) rose to 6.9 percent.

Specifically, reports of street robbery increased to 5.2 percent, break-ins with 2.8 percent and carnapping down with 0.1 percent.

Incidents of street robberies stayed highest in Metro Manila with 10 percent followed by Mindanao with 8.3 percent and Visayas with 2.5 percent.

SWS said the cases decreased in Balance of Luzon by 0.6 points from 3.9 percent in September ot 3.3 percent in December.

Families who suffered break-ins increased in all areas except in the Visayas. Carnapping rose only in Metro Manila while there were no cases in Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Reports of family members hurt by physical violence shoot up to 1.3 percent or an estimated 303,000 families within the past six months.

According to SWS, the result is 0.6 points higher from previous 0.7 percent or 159,000 estimated families. The highest was in March 2013 which reached 1.6 percent families reporting physical violence.

Cases of physical violence experienced among family members rose in Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, and Mindanao.

SWS found 54 percent of Filipino adults fear burglary. 9 points higher than the 52 percent in September. The survey also showed an eight point increase in percentage of respondents saying they fear walking the streets at night with 54 percent.

"(T)he December 2018 survey found 61 percent of adults agreeing with the statement, 'In this neighborhood, people are usually afraid that robbers might break into their houses ,' SWS said in the survey results.

According to them, the proportion of respondents fearing burglaries remained highest in Metro Manila with 66 percent, followed by Visayas with 64, Balance of Luzon at 63 percent and Mindanao with 52 percent.

"The December 2018 survey found 54 percent nationwide agreeing with the statement, 'In this neighborhood, people are usually afraid to walk in the street at night because it is not safe,' SWS added.

Respondents fearing unsafe streets were highest in the Visayas at 60 percent, followed by Metro Manila at 59 percent, Balance of Luzon at 53 percent and Mindanao at 50 percent.

The survey saw 39 percent of respondents say they notice many drug addicts in the neighborhood. The result was two percentage points lower from June and September 2018 survey with 41 percent.

Families fearing presence of drug addicts in neighborhod remained highest in Metro Manila at 53 percent, followed by the Visayas at 41 percent, Balance of Luzon at 39 percent and Mindanao at 26 percent. Cristina Eloisa Baclig/DMS