[FILE] Officers and members of the Philippine National Police march past the grandstand during flag-raising ceremony to mark the police’s 26th Foundation at the PNP General Headquarters in Quezon City, February 6, 2017.

DAVAO CITY—Despite receiving numerous flak for the increasing audacity of criminals to commit felonies even in broad daylight, the Philippine National Police (PNP) continues to ride high on solving crimes in the Philippines.

Philippine National Police (PNP) data on crime management showed that the police solved 81,185 crimes in the first quarter of the year from the crime volume of 92,774, for a crime solution efficiency of 87.51 percent. This amounts to about solving four incidents for every five crimes committed from January to March this year.

Non-index crimes, or offenses against special laws such as illegal drugs, violence against women and children and violation of traffic codes, topped the number of cases in the first quarter, reaching 38,136 incidents, or 41 percent of total.

Other offenses under this include child abuse, juvenile acts, illegal logging, gambling and illegal fishing, and also reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property or homicide.

Index crimes, or offenses against persons and properties, were at a lower incidence, at 8,671.

Index crimes are in two major categories, crimes against persons and crimes against property. Crimes against persons include murder, homicide, rape, and physical injury, and crimes against property include theft, robbery, carjacking, and cattle rustling.

The other crime commission were logged under the category Public Safety Indicator, which are mainly the traffic and vehicular incidents and “other quasi offenses.”

The National Capital Region accounted for the highest number of incidents at 27,206, or 29.3 percent of total. It has the most efficient crime solution among the regions at 92.58 percent.

Region 4A, or the Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon (Calabarzon) area, has the second highest number of crime incidents at 12,671 and still with a high crime solution efficiency at 83.17 percent.

Central Visayas, with Cebu as its central area, was third with high crime incidents at 10,367 and also with good crime solution at 92.51 percent.

Last year, crime solution was 86.11 percent.

While crime solution has improved in the first quarter, the police however, has been on the hot seat as the public pointed at the increasing number of incidents of illegal drug activities and the commission of focused crimes, especially on rape.