The Police Regional Office in Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) has announced a major victory in its fight against criminality, reporting a substantial decline in serious crimes across the region for the year 2025.
Significant Drop in Crime Statistics
Under the leadership of Police Brigadier General Arnold Thomas Ibay, PRO-NIR documented a 22.1 percent decrease in incidents classified as 8-Focus Crimes compared to the previous year. Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, chief of the regional public information office, presented consolidated data showing a reduction of 1,012 incidents. The total number of these crimes fell from 1,299 in 2024 to a lower figure in 2025.
The 8-Focus Crimes category encompasses murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, carnapping of motor vehicles, and carnapping of motorcycles. The detailed breakdown reveals positive trends in most areas.
Crime Category Breakdown and Improvements
Murder cases saw a notable decline, dropping from 260 in 2024 to 209 in 2025. Incidents of physical injury also fell sharply from 201 to 123. Rape cases decreased from 340 to 262, while robbery incidents went down from 98 to 74. Theft, a common concern, was reduced from 282 cases to 223.
For carnapping, motorcycle-related thefts decreased from 37 to 34. Motor vehicle carnapping showed a slight increase from one case in 2024 to three in 2025. Homicide was the only category with a minor uptick, rising from 80 to 84 cases.
Lieutenant Colonel Malong emphasized that the data points to significant decreases in murder, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, and motorcycle carnapping. She credited this success to more focused law enforcement, increased visibility patrols, and operations driven by solid intelligence gathering.
Sustained Police Effectiveness and Community Partnership
Despite the lower volume of crimes, PRO-NIR maintained a strong performance in solving cases. For 2025, the police force cleared 295 cases and solved 682, leaving only 35 cases unsolved. Malong acknowledged that continuous efforts are needed to improve resolution rates further, especially for emerging crime trends and complex investigations.
She highlighted that all provincial and city police offices under PRO-NIR contributed to this achievement. Their strategies included sustained anti-criminality operations, faster police response times, better intelligence coordination, and active engagement with community members who reported suspicious activities.
Brigadier General Ibay stated that the crime reduction is a clear testament to the discipline and professionalism of the PRO-NIR personnel. "Our police officers are not only enforcing the law, but they are also actively preventing crime through visibility, intelligence, and close partnership with our communities," Ibay said.
He assured the public that PRO-NIR will not relent in its mission. The office plans to intensify crime prevention programs, enhance investigation techniques, and strengthen collaboration with other agencies and the community to sustain peace and order.
"Our direction is firm and uncompromising: proactive policing, swift justice, and zero tolerance for criminality," Ibay affirmed. PRO-NIR urges citizens to remain vigilant and continue supporting law enforcement to ensure a safer and more secure Negros Island Region.
