A recent study by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), which was presented to the 20th City Council in the Sangguniang Panlungsod, showed that majority of Dabawenyos believe that the city remains safe and that citizens’ confidence on the police force remains strong.
MinDA Public Relations Division Chief Dr. Adrian Tamayo, presenting a report during a Regular Session of the Council on Tuesday, said the study was conducted on May 10-20, 2023 with respondents chosen based on a multi-stage cluster sampling by province and then by municipality.
The study yielded an 84 percent (very high) rating for the perceived safety in the city. Security is at 86 percent; trust for the police force is 87 percent (very high); and the police’s respect for the rights, lives, and property of civilians at 88 percent (very high).
Tamayo said although concerns surrounding several criminal cases sensationalized online may have clouded the discourse regarding safety and security, these cases remain isolated and do not at all indicate an increase in the overall crime rate of the city.
“The cases that happened in Davao City seemed to be random. The perpetrators of crime have no relation to all other crimes; victims are totally different from each other and incidents never happen in places having similar features — no pattern established,” he said.
“The Davao City Police maintains very high positive impressions on police training as rated by residents,” Tamayo added.
Meanwhile, Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Spokesperson PMaj Hazel Tuazon said the city’s police force is grateful for the trust of the citizens as made evident by the study. She said that the city police continue to implement its various security programs and campaigns. This includes the anti-robbery and theft operations through ‘Oplan RATS-Tugis’ (robbery, akyat-bahay, theft, salisi), the community-based anti-sexual crime campaign ‘Oplan Kilos’, and Oplan Kalinaw, among others.
Tuazon also asked the communities as well as barangay leaders to continue their support to the peace and order initiatives of the DCPO.
“Kami sa Davao City Police Office kanunay man mi nga nagapasalaamt sa atong mga kaigsoonang Dabawneyo sa aktibo nga suporta sa atoang kapulisan sa Davao City. Unta dili ni mausab ang ilahang pagsalid sa amoa when it comes to reporting sa mga incidents para maaksyonan dayon (The Davao City Police Office is always thankful to our fellow Dabawenyos for their active support to our police forces in Davao City. Hopefully their confidence on us will not change when it comes to reporting incidents so we can immediately take action),” she said during the Mindanao Hour program aired over the Davao City Disaster Radio on Tuesday.
For the entire Davao Region, the study revealed ratings of 86 percent garnered for safety, 85 percent for security, 88 percent for trust, and 87 percent for respect to rights, lives, and property.
