What are the characteristics of a good police plan?

 With clearly defined Objectives or Goals.

 Simplicity, Directness and Clarity
 Flexibility
 Possibility of Attainment
 Must provide Standard of Operation
 Economy in terms of Resources needed for implementation

What are the guidelines in Planning?

The five (5) W’s and one (1) H

What are the responsibilities in Planning?

Broad External Policy Planning – is the responsibility of the
legislative branch of the government. The main concern of the police
in this broad external policy planning is assisting the legislature
in their determining of police guideline through the passage of
appropriate laws or ordinances for the police to enforce.
Internal Policy Planning – is the responsibility of the C/PNP
and other chiefs of the different units or headquarters within their
area of jurisdiction to achieve the objectives or mission of the
police organization. They are responsible for planning, organizing,
staffing, directing, coordinating, controlling, reporting and
budgeting for the police organization within existing policies and
available resources. For maximum police effectiveness, they shall be
responsible for the technical operation of the police organization
and management of its personnel.

What are the approaches in Police Planning?

 Synoptic Approaches
 Incremental Approach
 Transactive Approach
 Advocacy Approach
 Radical Approach

What is Synoptic Planning?

Synoptic planning or the rational comprehensive approach is
the dominant tradition in planning. It is also the point of
departure for most other planning approaches.
This model is based on a problem-oriented approach to planning
especially appropriate for police agencies. It relies heavily on the
problem identification and analysis of the planning process. It can
assist police administrators in formulating goals and priorities in
terms that are focused on specific problems and solutions that often
confront law enforcement.
Steps in Synoptic Planning

Prepare for Planning – The task of planning should be detailed in a

work chart that specifies (a) what events and actions are necessary,
(b) when they must take place, (c) who is to be involved in each
action and for how long, and (d) how the various actions will
interlock with one another.
Describe the present situation – Planning must have a mean for
evaluation. Without an accurate beginning database there is no
reference point on which to formulate success or failure.
Develop projections and consider alternative future states –
Projections should be written with an attempt to link the current
situation with the future, keeping in mind the desirable outcomes.
It is important for the police executive to project the current
situations into the future to determine possible, probable and
desirable future states while considering the social, legislative,
and political trends existing in the community.

Identify and analyze problems – the discovery of the problems

assumes that a system to monitor and evaluate the current arena is
already on place. Closely related to the detection and
identification of issues is the ability of the police to define the
nature of the problem, that is to able to describe the magnitude,
cause, duration, and the expense of the issues at hand. A complete
understanding of the problem leads to the development of the means
to deal with the issues.

Set goals – Making choices about goals is one of the most important
aspects of planning. It makes no sense to establish a goal that does
not address a specific problem. Remembering that the police
departments are problem oriented, choices about goals and objectives
should adhere to the synoptic model.

Identify alternative course of action – As stated earlier,

alternatives are means by which goals and objectives can be
attained. These are options or possible things to be done in case
the main or original plan is not applicable.

Select preferred alternatives – there are three techniques to select

alternative:

1. Strategic analysis – this include the study on the courses of

actions; suitability studies; feasibility studies; acceptability
studies; and judgment.
 Suitability – each course of action is evaluated in
accordance with general policies, rules and laws.
 Feasibility – these include the appraisal of the effects of a
number of factors weigh separately and together.
 Acceptability – those judged to be suitable and feasible are
then realized in acceptability studies.
2. Cost – effectiveness Analysis – This technique is sometimes
called cost-benefit or cost performance analysis. The purpose of
this form of selection is that the alternative chosen should
maximize the ratio of benefit to cost.
3. Must-wants Analysis – This method of selecting a preferred course
of action combines the strengths of both strategic and cost
effectiveness analysis. Must wants analysis is concerned with
both the subjective weights of suitability, feasibility, and
acceptability and the objectives weights of cost versus benefits.

Plan and carryout implementation – The police administrator must be

aware that the implementation requires a great deal of tact and
skill. It maybe more important how an alternative is introduced to a
police department than what actually is.

Monitor and evaluate progress – Evaluation requires comparing what

actually happened with what was planned for-and this may not be a
simple undertaking. Feedback must be obtained concerning the results
of the planning cycle, the efficiency of the implementation process,
and the effectiveness of new procedures, projects or programs. This
is an important step of synoptic planning, trying to figure out
what, if anything happened as a result of implementing a selected
alternative.

Summation of the synoptic planning approach – This can be done by

making a summary of the presentation, could be tabular or other
forms of presentation.

Repeat the Planning Process – repetition of the process of planning

enables the planner to thresh out possible flaws in the plan.