Manila, March 9 -- Crime rate in Central Visayas has gone down by 41.50 percent in February, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 reported on Sunday.

In a news release, PRO-7 Director Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan said a total of 179 crimes were recorded in February, a decrease of 127 or 41.50 percent from the 306 recorded in February 2024.

This was on top of the 66-percent drop in January -- from 767 in 2024 to 256 this year.

PRO-7 also reported a 41.66-percent drop in shooting incidents from 36 in January to 21 in February.

The figures are based on the Philippine National Police's Crime Information Reporting and Analysis System.

Maranan attributed the drop in the crime rate to enhanced checkpoint operations, increased police visibility...