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entral Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Condro Kirono said that the number of criminal cases in the province had dropped by 17.6 percent from 11,420 in 2017 to 8,412 in 2018.

Condro said that general crimes such as theft dropped from 2,035 to 1,667, while thefts of motorized vehicle dropped from 1,664 to 1,305.

“However, drug cases increased from 1,080 to 1,161 in 2018,” Condro told the press on Monday.

He added that the number of rape cases decreases from 21 in 2017 to 18 last year.

Meanwhile, the occurrence of natural disasters increased by 41 percent from 88 incidents to 128.

“Our [police] stations across Central Java are always ready to help residents with disaster mitigation efforts in cooperation with search and rescue teams and disaster mitigation agencies,” Condro said.

On New Year’s Eve, the Central Java Police deployed more than 16,000 personnel to crowded public spaces, such as city squares and tourist sites.

“We also increased security in churches that held Mass to greet the New Year. So far, we’ve been receiving reports that everything is under control,” Condro said.