Topic 4b Presentation

TYPES OF PATROL

The AUTOMOBILE PATROL

The automobile, basically known today as car, is the most economical type of patrol that
offers the greatest tactical ability when used in numbers. The car has advantages over
all other methods of transportation for general patrol under ordinary conditions.
Automobile patrol is commonly referred today as mobile patrol - patrolling thru the use
of police patrol cars.
 

Some of the advantages of the mobile patrol  

1. When speed and mobility are needed such as in a large area that must be
covered by few officers, the speed of the patrol car allows them to service the whole
area and do so efficiently.
2. Mobile patrol is of claimed as the best means of preventive enforcement. With its
distinctive colors, red light and doors insignia, patrol car is very effective in deterring
criminal activity by making people conscious of the presence of police enforcers,
and by creating an awareness of punitive action.
3. The patrol car offers not only physical protection to the officer but is brings some
kind of psychological security. It protects him from the weather and to some extent
from traffic in that he would probably suffer less if hit by another car while he is in the
patrol car than he would if he is walking.
4. The patrol car permits the officer to carry extra equipment such as rain gear,
extra clothing, first aid equipment etc.
5. Patrol vehicles can be used as barricades in roadblocks, and they also offer a
higher degree of safety during pursuit of criminals.

 
General techniques and procedures in mobile patrol:

1. Thoroughly check the patrol car before leaving the garage.

2. Do not establish route patterns in patrolling the area of jurisdiction (sector)
3. Do not develop the habit of using only the main arteries (primary routes) in your
area. Most criminal activity occurs at the back streets, out of sight from the main
thoroughfares.

4. Always take note the license numbers of strange or suspicious vehicles.

5. Do not spend too much time in drive-inns or coffee spots.
6. Get out from the patrol car regularly/frequently.
7. See an example to other motorists.
8. Avoid driving too fast on general patrol conditions except during emergencies or
in pursuing    criminals/suspects.  Maintain a cruising speed of 20-25 mph during
patrol.  This is slow enough to make detailed observations without impeding the
traffic flow.
9. When conducting solo patrol, maintain frequent contact with the dispatcher or
other communication personnel in the field or at the HQ. 

9. If you are patrolling with a partner, divide the observation area around your
vehicle.

10. Minimize hiding behind hills, curves or signboards to trap traffic violators. This is
bad PR and serves to erode community confidence in the police sense of fair play.
11. Frequently check the potential trouble spots in your patrol area.

12. Stop periodically among parked cars at the entrance of side streets to observe
activity on the street.
13. Check the occupants of vehicles that stop beside and behind you at
intersections.
14. Check parking lots in your patrol area regularly for abandoned stolen vehicles.
15. In stopping and checking a vehicle, park at the rear side of the suspect vehicle.
Leave the door slightly open unless the area is highly populated.
16. Make it a habit not to leave the key in the police car even for just a minute.

 
1-Man versus the 2-man mobile patrol
Features of 1-man Mobile Patrol 

1. The preventive enforcement is doubled by having as many police car on the

street.
2. When the officer is alone, he devotes his full attention to his driving and the beat
rather to the conversation with his partner.
3. Personality clashes are reduced. Riding in a small patrol car with another person
for eight hours will soon reveal most of his faults. In a short time these faults can get
on the other person’s nerves.

* In a 2-man car patrol, the officers begin to rely on each other, and as a result of human error, an
officer expects support when it isn’t there. A man alone develops self-reliance.
* In the 2-man car patrol, an officer will take more chances than if he is alone. He apparently
builds a false sense of security, and sometimes acts without caution because he does not want to
appear to be a coward in front of his partner.
 
2-Man Car Patrol
1. A 2-man car patrol provides the officer with a greater safety factor doubling the
manpower and the physical protection.
2. The mistake that one-man makes may be checked by his partner.
3. One officer does not have to drive a full eight hours, and therefore, he is
physically fit and can do a better job. The variety of tasks makes the job more
interesting.
4. Two pairs of eyes are better than one. It is difficult to drive in our present traffic
let alone devote much attention to what is going on around us while we are driving.
5. One-man can operate the radio while the other drives.
6. On quiet nights the driver can have someone to talk to and help keep him awake.
Morale is improved through companionship.

The definitive history of PH mobile patrol groups

The Philippines was turned over to the United States after Spain signed the 1898 Treaty of

Paris agreement in France. As a military government was formed, the Philippine-American War started in

1899. It ended soon after General Aguinaldo was captured in 1901. A Commission Government was

created to put into effect normalization and the rule of civilian authority over military rule that was in place

since May 1898.

The civilian commission immediately established the Bureau of Insular Affairs that would handle many

matters in relation to running a country. New government departments were also established to manage

and handle problems on health, sanitation, road construction, and peace and order. The Public Works

Departments immediately hired field agents to monitor road and bridge constructions. The Department of

Health commissioned scientists and doctors to study recurring sicknesses like cholera, malaria and

others. Field inspectors were issued motorcycles as their mode of travel to far-flung areas. Roads

were still few and stopover stations for fuel and other needs were nowhere to be found. In 1912, the first

year where registration of motor vehicles was required, the first 28 motorcycles were owned by the

Bureau of Public Works and the Bureau of Public Health.

PHOTO BY POLICE PATROLMEN (1910). FROM THE COLLECTION OF RICHARD WILHELM
RAGODON

Aside from the Philippine Constabulary, city and provincial police units were also created in 1901. Gone

were the Guardia Civil enforcers of the Spanish era. Manila, being the seat of government, had the

largest force and the biggest budget. To monitor law and order, patrol squads were eventually created.

Initially used were horse-drawn tonneau patrol wagons (aka paddy wagons). Patrol wagon Number One

of the Manila police had an unfortunate accident in August, 1910 and was immediately put out of

commission. These animal-drawn units were soon augmented with Indian and Harley-

Davidson motorcycles. While equipment modernization was enforced early on, many provincial police

forces were still using bicycles as mobile vehicles even up to the 1940s. 

As population and vehicle density grew, especially in Manila and its environs in the 1920s, traffic

congestion and chaos became apparent. With the arrival of efficient and fast vehicles, reckless driving

and speeding became serious traffic violations everywhere. In order to counter such dangers, the Manila

Police Department created the traffic section that fielded more traffic policemen in arresting road violators

and in implementing current traffic rules and regulations. At the time, even the Bureau of Public Works

deputized some Philippine Constabulary officers and enlisted personnel to enforce traffic rules and

regulations in the provinces. 

By the 1930s, the traffic section was upgraded and became the traffic division. Foot and mobile patrol

officers were assigned everywhere to monitor traffic situations and apprehend violators. Even truant

officers were posted to apprehend vagrant youths roaming the streets at night. Pedestrian crossings and

traffic lights also appeared as the 1930s ended. Likewise, more police vehicles were acquired to roam

around a 50km radius with Manila as the center. Some were even equipped with early editions of two-way

radios. Mantrade, the official distributor of Ford vehicles in the islands, donated the first and only armored

car of the Manila Police Department then. A four-door sedan with bullet-proof windows and rifle barrel

slits, the car was officially turned over to the Manila Police Department through the city government in

1937. The car was approximately valued at P10,000. The car was last seen during the Japanese

occupation with a machine gun turret installed on the roof. 

PHOTO BY THE MPDS FIRST ARMORED CAR, ASSIGNED TO THE METROPOLITAN

CONSTABULARY. NOTE THE TURRET ON THE ROOF (1942). FROM THE COLLECTION OF
RICHARD WILHELM RAGODON

After Bataan and Corregidor fell during the Japanese occupation of the country from 1942 to 1945, the

Philippine Army was in disarray. The Bureau of Constabulary was rapidly established in 1942 and

replaced the greater Manila police force with the Metropolitan Constabulary. A motorcycle squad was

retained and an auxiliary unit consisting of women was organized and integrated into the traffic section.

Recruitment commenced in 1942 and posting of new foot patrols and traffic police women appeared early

in 1943. Young patrolwomen in khaki dresses and sun-brown helmets were seen at major traffic

intersections performing their assigned responsibilities to the fullest. The members of the constabulary

disbanded as the American soldiers began liberating Manila in February, 1945.

PHOTO BY PATROLWOMAN DOING TRAFFIC DUTY AT THE CORNER OF ECHAGUE AND
AVENIDA RIZAL, (1943). FROM THE COLLECTION OF RICHARD WILHELM RAGODON

PHOTO BY CAPTAIN S. HORIKAWA AND METROPOLITAN CONSTABULARY COMMANDER

ANTONIO C. TORRES INSPECT THE NEW MOTORCYCLE SQUAD. NOTE THE SPEED LIMITS
(1942). FROM THE COLLECTION OF RICHARD WILHELM RAGODON

Immediately after the liberation of Manila, the Military Police Command (MPC) replaced the nowhere-to-
be-found members of the Metropolitan Constabulary. MPC was given the task to strictly enforce law and
order everywhere, especially in places with stragglers and collaborators. Radio patrol car units were
activated with the use of surplus military jeeps and weapons carriers with radio sets, vital equipment in
expediting outright campaign decisions on the field. When the Philippines gained full independence on
July 4, 1946, both the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the local police forces were created as
deterrents against local and external threats to the nation.
By the mid-1946, provincial police forces began acquiring the needed patrol vehicles originally allotted to

the MPC. As cities improved from the ruins of war, old patrol vehicles were subsequently replaced with

new cars and motorcycles. The Manila Police Traffic Division bought a number of Plymouth Plaza and

Savoy units, and Harley- Davidson Duo-glide motorcycles from 1954 to the early 1960s. The Quezon

City police force selected Mercedes-Benz cars and BMW R50 motorcycles as roving units. On the other

hand, the Marikina municipal force bought Volkswagen Beetles in the 1960s.  

PHOTO BY MARIKINA POLICE FORCE (1964). FROM THE COLLECTION OF RICHARD WILHELM
RAGODON

PHOTO BY HARLEY-DAVIDSON DUO GLIDE PRESENTED TO MANILA MAYOR VILLEGAS (1963).

FROM THE COLLECTION OF RICHARD WILHELM RAGODON
The government retained the PC as a service branch of the AFP from 1946 to 1991. To complement and

support the local police force, it was also tasked to enforce law and order on a larger, provincial scale. It

eventually established the Traffic Control Group (Trafcon), now known as the PNP Highway Patrol

Group (PNP-HPG), to promote safety along the highways in late 1954. The Philippine Motor Association

(now Automobile Association of the Philippines or AAP) initiated the posting of high-visibility billboards

near sites of major highway or provincial road accidents even as early as 1950.  

PHOTO BY TRAFCOM TROOPERS IN CAMP CRAME (1966). FROM THE COLLECTION OF RICHARD
WILHELM RAGODON

The Trafcon’s initial patrol cars were 12 MacArthur-type jeeps and around 32 Ford Fairlane sedans.

Many of the sedans were former US military police pursuit vehicles previously used in Clark Air Base or in

Subic Naval Base. Other service units used until the early 1980s were Ford Custom sedans with V8

engines. A motorcycle unit was created in the early 1960s. An inventory of BMW R50 and Motto

Guzzi motorcycles were used. They were painted using the color combination khaki and red, the official

colors of the constabulary uniform. To enhance road visibility, Trafcon troopers wore uniforms similar to

the ones used by the Canadian Mounted Police. The uniforms were complimented with imitation Stetson

hats in khaki color as head gear. 

PHOTO BY NEW BMWS PRESENTED AT THE PC GRANDSTAND (1961). FROM THE COLLECTION
OF RICHARD WILHELM RAGODON

Another Metro Manila-based command was formed in 1967 to counter demonstrations and rallies. The

Metrocom (Metro-Manila Command) was formed, and it was a terrifying unit to encounter during the

turbulent period of rallies held by both moderate and radicals during the decade. In light blue-grey

shades, Metrocom vehicles used were the Toyota Crown, the Datsun 2000 and even the petite Mini-

Moke. The presence of these cars in a neighborhood, especially during the Martial Law era, could mean

on-going surveillance and even arrest--even without warrants. 

All city and municipal police forces were integrated into the constabulary command in 1975. The unified

force became the Integrated National Police and Philippine Constabulary (INP-PC) Command. As a

military branch of service, it was a part of the AFP. After Marcos fell, Cory Aquino took over. As a result of

the People Power Revolt of 1986, the INP-PC Command was dissolved. It was replaced by the Philippine

National Police (PNP) force in 1991.

Today, only the HPG and the Presidential Escort Battalion use big bikes with engines that are 400cc and

above in patrolling highways and escorting VIPs like the president and other dignitaries here and there.

While white is the standard color of all escort motorcycles, they included internationally followed

accessory equipment like blue and red light blinkers, a public address system (or bull horn), sirens, and

two-way radios. 

Throughout the history of law enforcers, these men and women have been accorded different names due

to necessity or to expediency. However, their main mission remains the same: To serve and protect. Such
an endeavor is carried on in boundless determination--no matter what the odds are. While we have to

accept that there are shenanigans in our government institutions, we cannot deny that many of our

countrymen who work there still enforce the law with integrity. Thus, we can reciprocate by also

respecting and following the rules of the road. The same approach can also be extended to others

agencies like the MMDA, whose traffic enforcers exert extra effort and overtime to guide and assist us.