Crime rates went down by 7.58 percent during the holiday season but theft cases have seen ''a slight increase'', the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Wednesday.

“Based on the data we have, the crime incidence went down by 7.58 percent compared to the same period last year,” said Col. Redrico Maranan, PNP public information head, said at the ''Laging Handa'' public briefing.

“We are seeing a slight increase in theft incidents. That’s because of the ‘salisi’ incidents in malls, churches, and other places of convergence. However, this is not a cause for concern because our police are there to monitor the public and if there are people taking advantage of this season, we will immediately catch them. But we have recorded a decline in the eight focused crimes,” he added.

In a separate interview with dzBB, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said there is also an increase in crimes related to illegal drugs, leading the PNP to deploy narcotics sniffing dogs.

“During seasons like this when there are long vacations and events, it's unavoidable that there will be drug pushers selling meth. That’s one of the things we are monitoring them, especially in transportation terminals,” Fajardo said.

“That’s why in major transportation terminals, like bus terminals, ports, and airports, we have deployed what we call narcotics detection dogs to help police inspect and monitor them so that the drug pushers and drug traffickers that are transporting illegal drugs won’t be left undetected,” she added.

Maranan said PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, Jr. ordered the Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) to strictly monitor and arrest sellers of illegal fireworks as the New Year approaches.

“During these past two weeks, they (ACG) have been conducting aggressive operations and they have caught many people who are illegally selling fireworks online. That is an ongoing operation and we are asking the public to coordinate with the nearest police station if they see someone who is illegally selling fireworks so that it can be acted upon,” he said.

Maranan said the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) are helping them catch drunk drivers amid the holiday season. Jaspearl Tan/DMS