Manila, Feb. 19 -- Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rommel Francisco D. Marbil said Wednesday the country's overall crime rate declined by 26.76 percent in the first six weeks of the year.

He said the PNP recorded 3,528 cases of focus crimes from Jan. 1 to Feb. 14, marking a 26.76 percent decrease compared to the 4,817 cases tallied in the same period last year.

Among the focus crimes, rape recorded the most significant decline, plummeting by 50.6 percent from 1,261 cases in early 2024 to 623 cases this year

The other focus crimes are theft, robbery, murder, homicide, physical injury, and car and motorcycle theft.

He said year-on-year data also reflect a 7.31 percent decrease in focus crimes, with 41,717 incidents recorded ...