Manila, May 26 -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) has instructed regional and local units to sustain aggressive anti-criminality operations after focus crimes declined by nearly 16 percent under the government's "Safer Cities" initiative.

"This 16 percent drop is not a temporary dip but the direct result of institutionalized reforms, data-driven deployments, and strict resource accountability," PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement Tuesday.

"We are ensuring sustainability by maximizing our logistics so that funding directly serves police operations and keeps boots on the ground where they are needed most," he added.

Nartatez said the PNP will continue to strengthen police visibility in crime-prone areas an...