ROMBLON STATE UNIVERSITY

Institute of Criminal Justice Education

Odiongan, Romblon

Law Enforcement Operations and Planning

with Crime Mapping

UNIT 2

PNP Police Operational Procedures

 ROMBLON STATE UNIVERSITY
Institute of Criminal Justice Education
Odiongan, Romblon

GENERAL PROCEDURES FOR POLICE OPERATIONS

Regardless of the type of function to be performed and/or police

operations to be conducted, all PNP personnel must know by heart and shall
comply and apply the following procedures:

POLICE BLOTTER

A police blotter is a 18 x 12 logbook with hard bound cover that contains

the daily register of all crimes incident reports, official summary of arrests, and
other significant events reported in a police station. A separate Police Blotter,
however, shall be maintained in crime incident reports involving violence
against women and children and those case involving a child in conflict with
the law to protect their privacy pursuant to RA 9262 (Anti-Violence Against
Women and Children Act of 2004) and 9344 (Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act
of 2006).

Electronic blotter- is a computerized system that is now being used in Davao

City Police Office which was accepted by the courts, prosecutors offfice and
the public in general. Coordination with Supreme Court administrator
disclosed that they are amendable to the idea of using e-blotter for the PNP
but the project is stalled because of its prohibitive costs.

Each PNP operating unit shall maintain an official police blotter where all
types of operational and undercover dispatches shall be recorded containing
the five W (Who, What, Where, When and Why) and one H (how) of an
information.

POLICE UNIFORM

All members of the police force reporting for duty shall wear the proper
uniform; the same shall be clean-shaven, neat and clean. The uniform shall
conform to the regulations prescribed by higher authority and shall be clean,
well pressed and worn neatly and buttoned.

POLICE NOTEBOOK AND PEN

Every policemen on the beat, either on board a mobile car or on foot

patrol must carry with him at all times a police notebook and a pen. The
notebook, which is approximately the pocket size, will be used to jot-down
important events that transpired during his tour of duty.Under the Rules of
Court, the police witness may glance at his notebook to refresh his memory
during court hearings.

INTER-UNIT COORDINATION
 ROMBLON STATE UNIVERSITY
Institute of Criminal Justice Education
Odiongan, Romblon

Team Leaders of Local Police Units operating outside their territorial

jurisdiction, and National Support Units shall coordinate personally or through
an official representative with the concerned territorial Police Office within
whose jurisdiction the operation will be conducted using the prescribed
Coordination Form prior to the launching of the operations, except in cases
where the inter-unit coordination through the written form cannot be made due
to the nature and/or urgency of the situation such as but not limited to cross
jurisdictional pursuit operations. In such case, the Police Unit concerned shall
endeavor to notify the territorial police office through any means of
appropriate communication at anytime during the operation and if not possible
shall accomplish and furnish the territorial Police Office a written incident
report immediately after the termination of that particular operation.

Hot Pursuit (Cross Jurisdictional Pursuit) - (also termed in the US As fresh

pursuit) shall mean an immediate, recent chase or follow-up without material
interval for the purpose of taking into custody any person wanted by virtue of
a warrant or one suspected to have committed a recent offense while fleeing
from one police jurisdictional boundaries that will normally require prior official
personal inter-unit coordination but which the pursuing unit cannot at that
moment comply due to urgency of the situation.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS OF POLICE INTERVENTION OPERATIONS

All police intervention operations (arrest, raid, search and seizure, checkpoint,
demolition, civil disturbance management) shall be conducted:

1. With a marked police vehicle

2. Preferably led by a commissioned Officer
3. With personnel in proper police uniform

WARNING BY USE OF MEGAPHONES

During actual police intervention operations, the team leader shall use any
peaceful means including the use of megaphones or any other similar means,
to influence/warn the offenders/suspects to stop and/or peacefully give up.

WARNING SHOTS

The police shall not use warning shots during any police intervention.

This rule was lifted from the FBI Manual but was found to be very
unpopular to policemen in the beat. However, the PNP decide to adopt this
rule because of the danger posed by warning shots to life and property
especially in crowded areas.

USE OF DEADLY FORCE

 ROMBLON STATE UNIVERSITY
Institute of Criminal Justice Education
Odiongan, Romblon

The excessive use of force is prohibited. The use of weapon is justified if

the suspect poses imminent danger of causing death or serious physical
injury to the policeman or other persons. The Supreme Court explained that
the policeman must stand hi ground because unlike a civilian who can run for
his life, a policeman cannot, lest, he can be charged for cowardice.
The danger is “imminent” if it is on the point of happening. It is not
required that the attack already begins, for it may be too late. The elements of
imminent danger are the following:

1. Intent of the suspect to harm the policeman

2. The capability of the suspect to harm the policeman or other persons
3. Accessibility or the proximity of the suspect in harming the policeman and
other persons.

The use of weapon is also justified under the Doctrines of Self-Defense,

Defense of relative, and Defense of Stranger.
Any Police Officer who uses firearm against the suspect must submit an
after encounter report outlining the circumstances necessitating the use of
deadly force against the suspect.

REASONABLE FORCE

During an armed confrontation, the police shall use reasonable force only
to overcome the threat posed by the suspect. The Officer, in charge of the
operation shall at all time exercise control over his men in the area, and shall
ensure that no innocent civilian is caught in the crossfire.
The reasonable of the force employed will depend upon the nature and
quality of the weapon used by the aggressor, his physical condition,
character, size and other circumstances and also the place and occasion of
the assault

MOVING VEHICLE

Moving vehicles shall not be fired upon except when its occupants poses
imminent danger of causing death to the policeman or other persons, and the
use of firearm does not create a danger to the public the far outweighs the
likely benefits of its use.

In firing upon a moving vehicle, the following parameters should be

considered:

1. Intent of the fleeing suspect/s to harm the policeman or other persons.

2. The capability of the fleeing suspect/s to really harm the policeman or other
persons.
3. Accessibility or the proximity of the fleeing suspect/s in harming the
policeman and other persons.
 ROMBLON STATE UNIVERSITY
Institute of Criminal Justice Education
Odiongan, Romblon

THINGS TO BE DONE AFTER AN ARMED CONFRONTATION

Immediately after an armed confrontation, the Officer, in charge shall

1. Secure the site of confrontation;

2. Take photographs;
3. Check whether the situation still poses imminent danger;
4. Evacuate the wounded to the nearest hospital; and
5. Take proper action for the killed, wounded and arrested persons. (Separate
the victims from the suspects)

JURISDICTIONAL INVESTIGATION BY THE TERRITORIAL UNIT

CONCERNED

The Police Unit which has territorial jurisdiction of the area of the armed
confrontation shall immediately undertake the necessary investigation and
processing of the scene of the encounter. The Scene of the Crime Operatives
(SOCO) team conducts Crime Scene Processing upon request.
In case where there is a slain suspect, the team leader of the operating
unit shall submit the incident for inquest before the duty inquest prosecutor
prior to the removal of the body from the scene, except in areas where there
are no Inquest Prosecutors. In which case, the territorial police unit can
proceed with the investigation.
 ROMBLON STATE UNIVERSITY
Institute of Criminal Justice Education
Odiongan, Romblon

Activity

Instruction: Answer and explain briefly all the questions.

Questions:

1. What are the general procedures in the conduct of police operation

2. What are the basic requirements of police intervention operations?

3. What is police blotter?

4. What are the elements of imminent danger?

5. What are the things to be done after an armed confrontation?