CEBU CITY — The Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 is set to conduct a consultative meeting with the small and medium-sized firecracker makers in Barangay Babag, this city, in an attempt to discourage clandestine factories, the cause of fatal explosions in past years, from operating.

Elements of the Firearms Explosives Security Agency and Guards Supervisory Section (FESAGSS) of PRO 7 were set to meet residents of said barangay, which is known as the famous firecrackers capital of Cebu, to ascertain that safety measures are strictly observed by the firecracker makers in manufacturing their products.

PRO 7 Chief Lani-o Nerez said he does not want anymore explosion incidents to occur particularly during the holidays. He cited several incidents in past years, which usually happen in clandestine firecracker factories, caused by workers lacking in proper firecracker safety training and education.

Meanwhile, police records indicate an increase in the volume of crime in Central Visayas, specifically during a ten-month period, from January to October this year, compared to the whole year in 2008. What is also noteworthy is the fact that index crimes, which used to be 64.32 percent of total crimes committed last year is now 70.5 percent of the total.

Police records show that the crime volume from January to end-October this year had already reached 8,608. Of that, figure 6,071 are considered index crimes, while the remaining 2,537 are non-index cases.

Index crimes are those involving cases against persons and properties like murder, homicide, physical injuries, rape, robbery and theft.

Non-index crimes are the results of police-initiated operations in enforcing special laws, such as those against illegal drugs, gambling, loose firearms, and the environmental. Other non-index cases are crimes against morals and order, assault and resistance to authority, and public official corruption.