Global law and order survey places Philippines on par with Australia

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A street in Ermita, Manila. File photograph.

A global law and order survey has placed the Philippines on a par with countries such as Australia and South Korea.

Gallup’s 2018 Global Law and Order report aims to gauge people’s sense of personal security and experience with crime and law enforcement.

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The report assigned the Philippines an index score of 82, the same as last year. As we then reported, the 2017 survey placed the country above such nations as France and Italy.

This year, the Philippines is in the same bracket as Croatia, Poland, Israel, Mauritius, Bangladesh, Serbia, Australia, South Korea, Romania, Iran and Sri Lanka.

This is despite the thousands of alleged extrajudicial killings linked to the war on drugs and ongoing Communist and Islamist insurgencies.

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However, as we reported last week, the Global Peace Index 2018 ranked the Philippines as one of the least peaceful countries in the world. With a ranking of 137th out of 163, it was by far the least people country in Southeast Asia.

The Malacañang has welcomed the most recent report, which was published yesterday (Monday, July 11). Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the results demonstrated how Filipinos felt safe under the Duterte administration.

Globally, Singapore recorded the highest index score of 97, the same as last year. 

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The city state was followed by Norway, Iceland and Finland — all with a score of 93.

At the other end of the scale, Venezuela remained at the bottom of the list with a law and order index score of 44.

Regionally, the report found that residents of North America, Southeast Asia, East Asia and Western Europe were the most likely to feel secure. Meanwhile, Latin America and the Caribbean were the regions with the lowest score.

Gallup interviewed more than 148,000 adults in 142 countries and areas over the course of the past year.

It asked four questions to gauge people’s sense of personal security and their experiences with crime and law enforcement. They were:

In the city or area where you live, do you have confidence in the local police force?

Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live?

Within the last 12 months, have you had money or property stolen from you or another household member?

Within the past 12 months, have you been assaulted or mugged?

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