SWS Q3 2019: Fewer families victimized by common crimes

There were fewer Filipino families who reported they have been victimized by common crimes in the past six months, according to a new Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The survey, done on September 27-30, 2019, found 5.6% or an estimated 1.4 million families reporting victimization by any of the common crimes such as pickpocket or robbery of personal property, break-ins, carnapping, and physical violence within the past six months.

The figure is 1.4 points lower than the 7% or estimated 1.7 million families in June 2019, and the lowest since the 5.3% in June 2018.

The September 2019 survey also found that there were more adults that are fearful of burglaries committed in their neighborhoods.

The survey showed that 59% of Filipino adults fearful of burglary, up by 4 points from the 55% in June 2019.

There is also an increase of Filipinos fearful of walking the streets at night at 47 percent, up by 1 point from the 46% in June 2019.

Respondents also say that they notice that there are more drug addicts in their neighborhood at 38%, the figure is unchanged from June 2019.

The September 2019 Social Weather Survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,800 adults (18 years old and above) with 600 each in Balance Luzon and Mindanao, and 300 each in Metro Manila and the Visayas with sampling error margins of ±2.3% for national percentages, ±4% each for Balance Luzon and Mindanao, and ±6 percent each for Metro Manila and the Visayas.

Except in March 2013 and June 2016 when it was at 10.5% and 11.4% respectively, victimization of families by any common crime has been at single-digit levels from March 2012 to September 2019.

Since 1989, SWS has been asking respondents of each quarterly survey whether any household member became a victim of street robbery, home break-in, or violence in the past 6 months. In 1992, SWS added motor vehicle theft to its list of crimes monitored.

Victimization by common crimes reported in SWS surveys is much higher than the number of crimes actually reported to the police.

Forty-seven percent or nearly half of 1,800 adults surveyed last month said they were still afraid to walk in the streets at night, while concern about burglaries went up by 4 points from 55 percent in June.

Property crimes

The September 2019 survey found 5.2% or about 1.3 million families reporting victimization by any of the property crimes like pickpocket or street robbery, burglary or break-ins, and carnapping within the past six months.

This is 1 point below the 6.2% or estimated 1.5 million in June 2019, and the lowest since the 5.1% in June 2018.

Except in June 2016 when it was at 10.9 , victimization by property crimes has been at single-digit levels from March 2012 to September 2019.

Common crimes

The survey found that 3.4 percent or an estimate 846,000 families victimized by street robbery during the past six months, down by 1 point from 4.4 percent or estimated 1.1 million in June 2019.

The survey found 2.6 percent or an estimated 640,000 of families victimized by break-ins, down by 0.7 points from 3.3% or estimated 823,000 in June.

Among families owning any type of motor vehicle, the survey found that 0.3% or an estimate of 40,000 were robbed of it in the past six months, down by 0.1 point from 0.4% estimated 44,000 in June.

The survey found 0.5% or about 133,000 families with members hurt by physical violence within the past six months, down by 0.7 points from 1.2% or about 287,000 in June. — BAP, GMA News