Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF ANTIQUE
Tibiao, Antique

College of Fisheries and Environmental Studies

BACHELOR OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION

LGA 8 – PUBLIC SAFETY AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Chapter 2: Public Safety

 Public Safety Definition
 Basic Examples of Public Safety
 Importance of Public Safety
 Challenges to Public Safety
 Public Safety Issues
 Common Public Safety Jobs

PUBLIC SAFETY

PUBLIC SAFETY DEFINITION

Public safety is the measures to
protect the mass and to ensure their
welfare and well-being. The Government
is the key stakeholder in the process.
The role and responsibility of the
government is to develop the right
framework as well as design the
strategies for public safety.
Subsequently, the government bodies
individually, or in association of the
commercial public safety service
providers execute the plans to ensure
the foolproof safety of the public. In
addition, the government frames and
executes laws and enactments in this
regard. On the other hand, the
government agencies work on taking
preventive measure on disasters, as well
as works on relief plans after the
disasters to restore back the normal
swing of life in the affected area.

The primary goal of the government is to prevent and protect the mass from the probable
threats and challenges, arising out of disasters and crimes. From a border perspective public safety
has references to the aspects of equality, fraternity, and liberty as well. In the ideal condition,
public safety will prevent the exploitation, inequality as well as social deprivation.
 In a safe and secure society, there should be no instances like mass lynching, exploitation of
an individual or a group by another person or a group, as well as all the residents of the area
should get fair and equal chances to lead their life.

BASIC EXAMPLES OF PUBLIC SAFETY

The most common threats to public safety in contemporary times include the instances, but
not limited to the scopes like narcotic use, substance abuse, financial and non-financial crime,
social exploitation and harassment’s, public lynching, as well as Juvenile Delinquency, to name a
few.

The government departments for public safety can be further differentiated into the local,
regional as well as national government agencies. All these departments, agencies and companies
are basically working hand-in-hand to ensure that people at large are getting the perfect living
condition, and the extent of crimes has been always within the control.

The Military and Paramilitary forces, Police force, Cyber-crime prevention departments,
Disaster Management departments and agencies, as well as emergency management are the most
significant examples of public safety. In addition, a special mention should be given about the
judicial services that aims to restore the rule of law across the society.

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC SAFETY?

In modern times, the local, regional as well as the national governments from all around the
globe has identified Public Safety as one of the major areas of concern and importance. They are
forming new departments and agencies to ensure that the residents of the place as well as the
society is safe and leading a pleasant and enjoyable life.

 The social safety plays a major role in shaping the economic, trading as well as financial
prosperity of an area and a society. Investors would be reluctant to invest in a region,
wherein the rate of crime is always towards the higher side. Likewise, they would not prefer
to invest their resources in a region that are prone to disastrous outcomes. As such, it
becomes very important to ensure adequate protection of the region and its residents as
well as to combat the chances of disasters to the extent possible and ensure a speedy
recovery after the disasters to make investors interested to invest in the region concerned.

 Instability in the society, or the rising rate of crime, especially the financial ones is often
the major factors beyond the retardation of the value of a country’s currency. Such
conditions adversely affect the international trading and international relations, forcing the
country to accept a retardation to the rate and scope of its development and modernization.
This is likely to negatively affect the rate of flow of international currencies.

 When the society in a country or in a region starts suffering from serious and intense safety
issues, its residents may start migrating out from the region or the country concerned. This
delivers a message that the departments and the agencies in the charge of social safety
cannot afford any compromises in this regard.

CHALLENGES TO PUBLIC SAFETY

What makes the task of the public safety departments and agencies such challenging? What
are most stringent issues and threats that can challenge the aspect of safety of the public?
  Disaster planning as well as recovery: one of the key components of public safety is that
of prevention of the disasters, as well as the recovery from the unavoidable disastrous
conditions. Though, some of these conditions can never be prevented, however, it is
certainly a scorching issue, if the administration of the area concerned does not have the
adequate framework to restore back the usual course of life, after the outburst of such
instances.
 A locality, region, or a country losing the rule of law: another adverse instant that can
challenge the public safety is that of the rising rate of activities that threatens and ruins
the rule of law. Needless to state, in such a society, the standard of life will be
shattered, and no scopes of well-being will be open for the residents. This will only end
up in retarding and demolishing the scopes of development and the advancement of such
a region, completely shattering the scopes of financial and business activities in such an
area.
 Some issues with public safety come accompanied by improvements with technology:
Though, no compromises can be ever made to the advancement of technology, however,
it is not acceptable that such advancements should be accompanied by threats to public
safety. Unethical utilization of technology with or without evil purposes and thoughts are
the best example to illustrate such issues. For example, the rising rate of cybercrime is
one of the major threats to public safety these days. It has come as an unwanted by-
product of technological advancement.
 Social and/or economical exploitation: The government from all around the globe is
really finding it tough to control the instances of economic disparity which is the key
factor beyond financial exploitation. It is impossible to think about a safe society, where
an individual or a group of people is financially or socially exploited by another person or
a group.
 Ever changing nature of the crime: It is a fact that, as the orientations and approaches
in life is changing, so are the types, nature as well as scopes of crimes. For instance, even
a few decades back, no one could have even thought about online crime, which is one of
the scorching issues these days. Likewise, with the passage of time, new types of crimes
are coming to the forefront and preventing such instances sometime seems to be an
impossible task.
 Lack of authentic and relevant data: Another stringent threat to the aspect of public
safety is that of the lack of authentic and reliable data and information. So, the public
safety departments do not have any clue about the probable challenges that are likely to
spring up. As such, it becomes almost impossible to take the right course of action to
prevent such instances.

PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES

Issues with public safety are the probable threats that are likely to challenge the emotional
as well as physical security of the mass. It involves the threats to the individuals, communities, as
well as institutes. Now, let us look back on some of the issues to public safety:

 Law enforcement issues: the major issues that the law enforcement departments from
all around the world faced in 2018 were issues related to a drastic rise in the rate of
responses from active shooters, lack of transparency in police as well as public record,
and issues with the recruitments of the professionals.
 Cyber security: instances of cyber hacks, leaks and cyber-attacks are the major concerns
for public safety over the last few years.
  Social engineering: with the social media platforms spreading rumors and fake
information hurting the emotions of communities in various manners, social engineering is
facing significant challenges to keep up the right shape and condition.
 Natural Disasters: over the last few years, with the violation of the equilibrium in the
ecological balance, the rates and types of natural disasters has been rising continuously.
It is becoming tough for the public safety departments to prevent such instances and
ensure speedy recovery.

SOME OF THE MOST COMMON PUBLIC SAFETY JOBS

Over the last few years, public safety has developed and shaped up as a comprehensive
industry, emerging as one of the major employment domains for the mass. Here, come of the jobs
are with the government departments and agencies, while others are with the commercial
providers of public safety services. The following are the common example of jobs with public
safety:

 Police Officers
 Fire Fighters
 Medical and Health Services
 Emergency Management
 Disaster Management
 Law Enforcement
 Private Security services
 Disaster and emergency planning
 Crime control
 Intelligence and Fraud detection
 Investigations

These professionals are handsomely paid, and they get lucrative career development
opportunities to secure themselves professionally. The opening can be at local, region, national as
well as international arenas.

With more and more importance being given to the concept of Public Safety, it is anticipated
that in the forthcoming years, the domain of public safety would widen further, creating more and
more jobs for the deserving candidates. Likewise, it is anticipated that professional in this domain
can expect higher compensation packages, and they are certainly going to play crucial roles in
ensuring the solace and welfare of the mass, ensuring adequate job satisfaction as well.