A notable milestone was achieved by the Police Regional Office (PRO) in the region in June alone with the arrest of 469 fugitives through a series of manhunt operations.
Translating to an average of 15 arrests per day, PRO-6 demonstrated its commitment to law enforcement and public safety.
The operations led to the capture of 89 most wanted persons (MWPs) and 380 other wanted persons (OWPs).
The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office recorded the highest number of arrests with 189, representing 40.29 percent of the total, while Iloilo PPO followed with 113 arrests, accounting for 24 percent. Bacolod City Police Office secured the third spot with 39 arrests.
Records indicated that of the 89 MWPs arrested, one was on the national level, eight were on the regional most wanted list, 22 were under the provincial/city level, and 58 were on the municipal level. The Iloilo Police Provincial Office captured the highest number of MWPs at 28, followed by the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office with 23.
Other significant arrests included Iloilo City Police Office with 11; Antique PPO with seven; Capiz PPO and Bacolod City Police Office with six each; Aklan PPO with four; Guimaras PPO with three, and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Regional Field Unit 6 with one arrest.
For other wanted persons, the numbers were as follows: NOcPPO arrested 166, Iloilo PPO captured 85, Bacolod City PO had 33, Aklan PPO netted 25, Iloilo City PO had 22, Antique PPO had 19, Capiz PPO had 16, Guimaras PPO had nine, CIDG-RFU6 had four, and the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 6 had one.
Brig. Gen. Jack Wanky, the Western Visayas police chief, commended the tracker teams for their dedication and hard work.
Wanky emphasized that the arrests demonstrate the commitment and sacrifices of the police force in locating law violators. "The number of arrests shows our policemen’s commitment and sacrifices in locating the whereabouts of these law violators," he said.
No wanted person can evade capture indefinitely, Wanky also stressed.
"It won’t be long before the law catches up with them, and they are held accountable for their offenses. Thus, we urge other wanted persons to surrender and face the charges against them."
He then called on families of wanted persons not to harbor fugitives but to encourage their surrender.
The arrests underscore the ongoing efforts to uphold the rule of law and enhance community safety in the region.
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