MANILA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The crime rate in the Philippines dropped 47 percent during the past six months while the country is under the COVID-19 lockdown, the country's police said on Friday.

Guillermo Eleazar, the deputy chief for the Administration of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said that the country's police recorded 16,879 crimes from March 17 to September 16, down from the 31,661 incidents recorded from September 15, 2019 to March 16, 2020.

These crimes include murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, car theft, and motorcycle theft.

Eleazar said the decline in crime incidents translates to an average of 92 cases per day in six months or 184 days of the community quarantine period, as compared to 172 cases per day recorded during the six-month pre-quarantine period.

He said all police commanders have been ordered to maintain police visibility and to constantly coordinate with local government officials to intensify peace and order at the community level.

"We would like to point out that the criminal incidents have been consistently declining in the past four years," Eleazar said.

The Philippines has been on lockdown since mid-March as the country grapples with surging COVID-19 cases.

The Philippines now has 279,526 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Enditem

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