LAOAG CITY, Dec. 17 -- The province of Ilocos Norte has remained generally peaceful in 2025 with the implementation of enhanced police operations and intensified campaigns against illegal drugs, wanted persons, and loose firearms, authorities said Wednesday.

Since Jan. 1, a total of 469 crime incidents were recorded in the province, down from last year's 522, according to Lt. Col. Jephre Taccad, chief of the Provincial Operations Management Unit of the Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office (INPPO), during the 4th quarter meeting of the Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council and the Provincial Peace and Order Council.

A sharp decline in the number of vehicular traffic accidents was also recorded, from 306 last year to 165 this year, Taccad s...