- PRO: incidents of CICL drop
Cases of children in conflict with the law (CICL), or those minors from four years old to 17 years old who commit or are involved in crimes in the region, have decrease from 2016 to 2018, a police official said.
Speaking on Wednesday’s AFP-PNP press briefing, Police Regional Office 11 spokesperson Chief Insp. Jason Baria said CICL cases keep decreasing every year since 2016 based on the record they have from the various police stations in the region.
In 2016, there were 857 CICL cases.
It decreased to 502 in 2017 and further lowered to 256 in 2018.
For the age bracket, CICLs from 15 to 17 years old were 468 in 2016, 286 in 2017, and 179 in 2018.
At the age of 12 to 14 years old, there were 281 in 2016, 158 in 2017 and 58 in 2018.
For nine to 11 years old, there were 86 in 2016, 49 in 2017, and six in 2018.
For six to eight years old, there were 24 in 2016, six in 2017; and six in 2018.
For four to five years old, there were two in 2016; three in 2017, and none in 2018.
While not specifically saying the nature of the cases, Baria said most of the incidents involved rape.
The police spokesperson attributed the decrease to their pro-child advocacies and policies, and the full implementation of Oplan Tambay and curfew.
“Our implementation on the city and municipal ordinances also caused the decrease,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sr. Insp. Maria Theresita Gaspan, spokesperson of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), said they are supporting the lowering of the criminal liability of minors who are involved in heinous crimes.
“It will be a motivation or a chilling effect to the parents to guide their children not to commit heinous crimes,” Gaspan said.
Those who will be committing serious crimes like murder, rape, homicide, serious illegal detention, and illegal drugs will be subjected to mandatory confinement at the Bahay Pag-asa.
“The purpose is reformative,” Gaspan said. “It’s not detaining them with adult criminals but to place them in reformative institution for rehabilitation.”
She also said that with the lowering of the age for minors committing crimes there would also a decrease in CICL cases.
