PATROL

The Basic Police

Function
 Law Enforcement
• Law Enforcement is the activity of some
members of government or corporations
who act in an organized manner to
enforce the law by discovering, deterring,
rehabilitating, or punishing people who
violate the rules and norms governing that
society.
• Although the term encompasses police, courts,
and corrections, it is most frequently applied
to those who directly engage in patrols or
surveillance to dissuade and discover criminal
activity, and those who investigate crimes and
apprehend offenders, a task typically carried
out by the police, sheriff or another Law
Enforcement Organization.
• Modern state legal codes use the term peace
officer, or law enforcement officer to include every
person vested by the legislating state with police
power or authority, traditionally, anyone sworn or
badged, who can arrest, or any public official
authorized by statute, to detain, any person for a
violation of criminal law, is included under the
umbrella term of Law Enforcement.
• Although law enforcement may be most
concerned with the prevention and
punishment of crimes, organizations exist to
discourage a wide variety of non-criminal
violations of rules and norms, affected through
the imposition of less severe consequences
such as probation.
 Major Law Enforcement Agencies
• In a Presidential system of the goverment like the
Philippines, the Executive Department is the police
among the three departments. The executive
department, which is headed by the President,
represents the government as a whole and sees to
it that all laws are faithfully complied with by its
constituents and enforced by the officials and
employees of his or her department.
• There are a lot of agencies under the Executive
Department which is charged with the enforcement of the
laws. Each of them carries its own mandate; albiet some
are limited only in scope and apllication. For example, the
DENR is mainly charged with the maintenance of a
wholesome natural environment by enforcing
environmental protection laws and supervise and police
our natural resources. This agency of the government
may create special units to effectively carry its mandate.
• For instance, the National Anti-Environmental
Crime Task Force (NAEKTAF) was created by
virtue of EO 515 to strictly enforce
environmental laws and prosecute violations
thereof. To fully implement its creation and
mandate, it has to coordinate with the PNP
and other law enforcement agencies.
• The Executive Department has five (5) principal law
enforcement agencies tasked with the enforcement
of the laws violated. Each of these agencies is
created by an Act of Congress and national in scope.
They are the “first-line-enforcers” of the state. They
are expected to make important decisions, interpret,
investigate, take actions in matters of law and order,
and make important decisions to take official action
when confronted by a criminal situation.
• They are:
• The Philippine National Police
• The National Bureau of Investigation
• The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency
• The Bureau of Immigration and Deportation
• The Bureau of Customs
 Field Operations
• Field Operations shall be directed by the police commander and
the subordinate commanders and the same shall be aimed at the
accomplishment of the following primary tasks more effectively and
economically:
• Patrol - The patrol force shall accomplish the primary responsiblity
of safeguarding the community through the protection of persons
and property, the preservation of the peace, the prevention of crime,
the suppression of criminal activities, the apprehension of criminals,
the enforcement of laws and ordinances and regulations of conduct,
and performing necessary service and inspections.
• Investigation - The basic purpose of the
investigation division unit shall be to investigate
cetain designated crimes and clear them by the
recovery of stolen property and the arrest and
conviction of the perpetrators. To this end, the
investigation division shall supervise the
investigation made by patrolman and undertake
additional investigations as may be necessary of all
felonies.
• Traffic Patrol - Police control of streets or
highways, vehicles, and people shall facilitate
the safe and rapid movement of vehicles and
pedestrians. To this end, the incovenience,
dangers and economic losses that arise from
this moment, congestion, delays, stopping
and parking of vehicles must be lessened.
Control of traffic shall be accomplished in three (3) ways:

• Causes of accidents and congestion shall be discovered, facts

gathered and analyzed for his purpose;
• Causes shall be remedied, charges shall be made in physical
condition that create hazards, and legislation shall be enacted to
regulated drivers and pedestrians;
• The public shall be educated in the provisions of traffic and
ordinances. Motorists and pedestrians shall be trained in
satisfactory movement habits and compliance with regulations
shall be obtained by enforcement. The police shall initiate action
and coordinate the efforts of the agencies that are concerned in
the activities.
• Juvenile Delinquency Control - Effective
crime control necessitates preventing the
development of individuals as criminals. The
police commander shall recognize a need for
preventing crime or correcting conditions that
induce criminality and by rehabilitating the
delinquent.
• Vice Control - It shall be the determined stand of the
PNP in the control of vices offenses as they shall do to
any violation, and to exert efforts to elliminate them, as
there attempt to eliminate robbery, theft, and public
disturbance. Control of vice shall be based on law rather
than on moral precepts, and intensive operations shall be
directed toward elimination. A primary interest in vice
control results from the close coordination between vice
and criminal activities. Constant raids of known vice dens
shall be undertaken.
• Surveillance one of the oldest ways of detecting criminal
activity is through surveillance. This method is used when
it is likely that a crime will take place at a specific location
or when certain persons are suspected of criminal activity
• The first situation usually is handled by fixed police
observation known as stakeout; the second circumstance
may require mobile observation as well, perhaps on foot
or by automobile. Some situations may call for aerial
observation using helicopters or electronic procedures
(using listening devices that monitor telephone lines).
• The observation method must be legal. Surveillance
techniques, for example, may include placing personnel in
strategic locations and equipping them with optical aids,
such as binoculars or scopes with the capacity to detect
an object illuminated only by moolight, or with electronic
devices, sensitive to a conversation taking place at a
considerable distance. Where a possibility exists of
invasion of privacy, a court order is required to make the
police action and the information obtained acceptable at a
trial.
• Allied to surveillance are covert or undercover
observations, which usually are confined to
activities such as gambling, dealing in narcotics,
and other major organized crimes. Informants are
the source of much useful information in
investigations; they may be citizens motivated by
civic duty or sometimes, criminals motivated by
self-interest.
• Surveillance - is the secretive and continuous watching of
persons, vehicles, places or objects to obtain information
concerning the activities and identities of individuals.
• Objectives of Surveillance
• To obtain evidence of a crime
• To locate a subject by watching his haunts or associates
• To obtain detailed information about the scope and nature of the
subject’s activities.
• To locate the residence, place of business, and other places
frequented by associates or accomplices of the subject
• To check on the reliabiltiy of informants
• To locate hidden property or contraband
• To obtain probable cause for obtaining search warrants
• To prevent the commission of an act or to apprehend a subject in
the commission of an act
• To obtain information for later use in interrogation
• To develop leads and information received from other sources
• To know all times the whereabouts of an individual
• To obtain admissible legal evidence for use in court
 Philippines Law Enforcement
• Until the mid-1970s, when a major restructuring of the
nation's police system was undertaken, the Philippine
Constabulary alone was responsible for Law Enforcement
on a national level. Independent city and Municipal Police
Forces took charge of maintaining peace and order on a
local level, calling on the constabulary for aid when the
need arose. The National Police Commission, established
in 1966 to improve the professionalism and training of
local police, had loose supervisory authority over the
police.
• The Chief of the Philippine Constabulary served jointly as the
Director General of the Integrated National Police. As
Constabulary Commander, he reported through the Military Chain
of Command, and as head of the Integrated National Police, he
reported directly to the Minister (later Secretary) of National
Defense. The National Police Commission was transferred to the
Ministry (later Department) of National Defense, retaining its
oversight responsibilities but turning over authority for training and
other matters to the Philippine Constabulary and Integrated
National Police.
• The Integrated National Police was assigned
responsibility for public safety, protection of lives and
property, and, enforcement of laws, and
maintenance of peace and order throughout the
nation. To carry out these responsibilities, it was
given powers to prevent crimes, affect the arrest of
criminal offenders and provide for their detention and
rehabilitation, prevent and control fires, investigate
the commission of all crimes and offenses,
• bring the offenders to justice, and take all
necessary steps to ensure public safety. In practice,
the Philippine Constabulary retained responsibility
for dealing with serious crimes or cases involving
jurisdictions far separated from one another, and
the Integrated National Police took charge of less
serious crimes and local traffic, crime prevention,
and public safety.
 Law Enforcement Operations in the Philippines
• The Local Government Code of the Philippines
mandates the Barangays to enforce peace and
order and provide support for the effective
enforcement of human rights and justice, resolving
and/or mediating conflict at the barangay level
through non-adversarial means. Recourse to this
Barangay Justice System is required, with some
specific exceptions, as a pre-condition before
filing acomplaint in court or any government offices.
• At the national level, Law Enforcement in the
Philippines is handled by two Agencies:
• the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the
• National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
• Community policing is done by un-armed barangay
tanods who are hired and supervised by their local
barangays, the smallest elected government in the
Philippines.
• Barangay Tanods are often
described as volunteers but they
do receive in some places small
stipends and benefits such as
health care.
• They have some limited training.
 The Philippine National Police
• From a merging of the Philippine Constabulary
and the Integrated National Police, the
Philippine National Police (PNP) is the civilian
national police force of the Philippines. The
following is a brief history of the PNP and the
organizational structure that it holds today.
 HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
• The Philippine National Police (PNP) originated from the
Philippine Constabulary or the PC,which was inaugurated
on August 8,1901, establishing it as an Insular Police
force under the American Regime. On August 8,1975,
Presidential Decree no. 765 was issued, establishing the
Philippine Constabulary/Integrated National Police or the
PC/INP as the Country’s National Police Force.These
fragmented and diverse local police units were integrated
into a National Police Force with the Philippine
Constabulary as its nucleus.
• After the People’s Revolution in 1986, a new
Constitution was promulgated providing for a Police
Force, which is “National in Scope and Civilian
in Character.” consequently, Republic Act No.
6975 entitled, “An Act Establishing the Philippine
National Police under a Reorganized Department
of the Interior and Local government (DILG),” was
signed into law on December 13, 1990, which took
effect on January 1, 1991.
• Subsequently, the PNP was operational on January 29,1991,
whose members were formerly the PC and the INP and the
absorption of the selected members from the major service units
of the Armed Forces of the Philippines such as the Philippine Air
Force Security Command, the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine
Navy, and the Philippine Army
• Thus, to further strengthen the PNP into a highly efficient and
competent police force, Republic Act No. 8551 entitled “PNP
Reform and the Reorganization Act of 1998” was enacted on
February 17, 1998, amending certain provisions of Republic Act
No. 6975.
 Definition/ Concept
• Patrol is the only form of police service which directly attempts to eliminate
the desire/opportunity of an individual to commit misconduct.
• An analysis of this definition/concept reveals that:
• is the only form of police service.
• is directly concerned with the elimination of desire/ an opportunity foran
individual to commit misconduct.
• The police performs multifarious tasks in society wherein its three major roles
are classifieds as follows:
• Crime prevention
• Crime Investigation
• Traffic control
• However, among these three roles, the most basic is
crime prevention, performed by the patrolman in uniform
who walks the streets and dark alleys, always in contact
with the public, always observant of persons and things.
They continuously move around. Visibility and
omnipresence is their psychological tool to make their
presence felt, so as to give a feeling of security to the law
abiding citizen but a feeling of fear to the would - be
criminal. Hence, the desire/ opportunity to commit
misconduct is dissipated.
 Desire and Opportunity
• Conceptually, a desire is to long for, to wish, to want, to crave;
while opportunity is an occasion, a chance, time, moment,
possibility, situation.
• Criminal psychologists contend that these two factors must co-
exists in an individual before a person can commit a crime. In so
doing, the sequence must be as follows:
• First, there must be the presence of a desire in the mind of the
person to commit the crime.
• Second, the opportunity to commit the crime is present.
• Third, these two factors must co-exist must go together, one after
the other in sequence. Otherwise, no crime is committed.
What is the relevance of this psychological omnipresence to a
patrolman in his crime prevention function?

• In understanding human behavior for effective police work patrol

officer assumes the role of a street-level psychologist. He knows
that only people commit crimes, and he also knows that in order to
commit the act the factors to desire and opportunity must not only
be present, must not only co-exist, but the action of each must be
in sequence – there must first be a desire on the part of the
person who would want to commit the crime, and this should be
followed by opportunity - that the opportunity must be present.
• In performing patrol work, the objective is to prevent the
commission of the crime by destroying the opportunity through
constant and alert patrolling.
 Organizing for Patrol
• Concept of Organization
• Basically, organization consists of arranging personnel
and functions in a systematic manner designed to
accommodate stated goals and objectives in the most
efficient manner possible.
• A poorly organized police department cannot function
effectively even with the best management. Similarly a
well-organized police department will not operate with
maximum efficiency if it is not well managed.
• The act of organizing is indispensable to
proper management, and without some form
of organizational structure, most police
operations could not be carried out effectively
if organizational concepts are poorly
understood or applied, the efficiency of the
department will be severely affected.
 What is Patrol
• According to Hale, Patrol is the essence of police function
while Payton said, the Patrol Division is the Backbone of
a Police Department. However, making it simpler, patrol
may refer to the regular tour made by a guard in a place
in order to protect it or to maintain order. It could also
mean a person or group (such as POLICE or MILITARY
Unit) sent to carry out a tour of duty in a certain place
with a particular mission either for reconnaissance/
surveillance purposes or simply to provide protection.
• Patrol is to make regular round in an area for protection
and surveillance in order to comply its objectives. It is also
an action of covering the area or beat to ensure security
or protection.
• “Patrouiller”
• Patrol – from French word “Patroller” which means
“going through puddles”.
• The action of going the grounds (as of an area) for
observation or the maintenance of security by a person
or group performing such an action.
• Patrol - from french patrouiller - to paddle, paw about, patrol,
keep watch over an area by regularly walking or traveling around
or through it.
• Patrol force is the largest and oldest of all police services and it is
the focal point of all police activities.
• Patrol Officers - are uniformed officers assigned to monitor
specific geographical areas, that is to move through their areas at
regular intervals looking out for any signs of problems of any kind.
• A Patrol Officers occupies a position of unique responsibility and
importance. He is a visible symbol of safety and protection.
 Five Major Objectives of Police Patrol
• Crime Prevention
• The prevention and suppression of crime is the first and most
important mission of the patrol officer.
• Police visibility is based on traditional belief that highly
conspicuous presence of police will deter criminal activity.
• However, the patrolman in uniform is not the deterrent to
• crime that many assume to be. He can only be effective if he
observes and responds to criminal activity.
• Thus, the only true measure of effectiveness of preventive patrol
is the amount of crime not committed.
• Crime Investigation
• Efforts of patrol personnel with respect to Crime
• Investigation has been superficial due to prevailing attitude that
Patrol officers do not possess the necessary qualifications to
thoroughly investigate crimes.
• Patrol officers can not exercise the same degree of latitude with
respect to their movement and activity that plainclothes
investigators are capable of exercising.
• A key factor in determining whether or not a crime will eventually
be solved is the action taken by the patrol officer upon initially
responding to the crime scene.
• Sufficient time for patrol personnel to conduct a thorough.
• and satisfactory investigation should be allowed.
• The fundamental responsibilities of the patrol officer are the
following preliminary investigation, follow-up investigation,
collection of evidence and crime reporting.
• Preliminary Investigation
• Information to obtain:
• nature of crime
• suspect’s description
• mode and direction of travel
• type of weapon used
• Three important purposes:
• to determine what, if any crime has been
committed.
• to determine whether the local police department
• has jurisdiction (if not, appropriate agency should
be notified).
• to attempt the immediate apprehension of the
perpetrator.
• Follow-up Investigation
• Designate personnel as follow-up officers.
• The “split-patrol” is a patrol force divided into two
• separate elements, one responds to calls for
service, the other remains free to concentrate on
self-initiated non-dispatched patrol duties.
• Collection of Evidence
• Needs highly skilled technician.
• Patrol officers should be provided with
basic crime scene investigation
equipment.
• They must be trained in the basic
techniques of crime scene investigation.
• Crime Reporting
• List what happened including names of
witnesses
• and their account of the crime.
• Enumerate what is left to be done in the
follow-up
• investigation.
• Law Enforcement
• Has potential impact on the security and well-
being of the community.
• It is important that the law enforcement role of
the patrol
• officer be performed with sound judgment and
keen sensitivity of the implications it has upon
the community.
• Patrol officers run the greatest risk in
performing this role, which is due in part to the
nature of the laws which they are expected to
enforce.
• Law enforcement role of patrol officers is not
clearly
• articulated, (how, when and under what
conditions particular laws are to be enforced).
• The Police exercise awesome powers in their law
enforcement role, including the power to deprive
citizens of their individual freedom, to jeopardize
their community standing and personal reputation.
• These powers tend to be abused.
• The law must be enforced impartially and with full
• recognition of its intent and purpose.
• Maintenance of Social Order
• It is the primary obligation of the police.
• It arises when the patrol officer decides not to invoke his law
enforcement powers and chooses some lesser form of control
hence, it is often a direct result of his discretionary authority.
• It involves element of peacekeeping.
• It is a more dominant role of patrol officers in society.
• Must be acknowledged and treated as an acceptable
• alternative to law enforcement.
• Police Traffic Enforcement Activities
• Issue Traffic Citations
• Issue Parking Citations
• Investigate Traffic Accidents
• Arrest Drunk Drivers
• Enforce Seat belt Laws
• Direct Traffic
Police Visibility Patrols (OPLAN LAGING HANDA)

• Mobile detachment – A mobile foot patrol team

manning a control point and 2-6 visibility points in
the assigned AOR.
• Control point – centrally located post where the
vehicle with the team leader and crew is stationed
to control and back up its 2-6 buddy foot patrol.
• Visibility point – vantage spot adjacent to and on
either side of the control point being used by a
buddy foot patrol.
 What is the concept of Crime Prevention and
Crime Suppression
• Theoretically, crime prevention involves the suppression
of the desire of potential criminals to commit crimes. On
the other hand, crime suppression involves the
elimination of the oppurtunity of criminals to perform acts
against the law.
• In reality, crime prevention and crime suppression are
activities that patrol officers do not bother to distinguish.
When they are deployed at the streets, patrol officers
have no time to ponder if what they do is under crime
prevention or crime suppression.
 Patrol Functions (Categories)
• Crime prevention - pro-active
deterrence
• Law Enforcement - reactive
deterrence
• Order Maintenance – security
• Social Services - community welfare
 Patrol As A Function

•Constant Movement
•Prevent/deter crime
•Eliminate opportunity for
crime
 Patrol Activities and Purposes
• Crime Detection and Prevention
• Apprehension of Criminals & Wanted Suspects
• Data & Information Collection
• Report Writing & Documentation
• Public Assistance
• Peace Keeping and Order Maintenance
• Conflict Resolution
• Traffic Control and Enforcement
• Parking Enforcement
• Law Enforcement Reduce Citizens’ Fear of Crime
• Detect and Enforce Code and Safety Violations
• Rapid Responses to Emergencies
• Public Relations
• Police Visibility
• Property Protection
 Concept of Patrol
• Before discussing patrol organization and operation any
further, it is but fitting, as a form of refresher, to remind
our learners that patrol is only the form of police service
that directly attempts to eliminates the desire/opportunity
to commit misconduct on the part of an individual.
• Significantly, since the patrol force is the single largest
element in a police organization, dressed in the familiar
khaki uniform, or riding in conspicuously mark radio-
equipped patrol cars, the nature of their services brings
them in direct constant contact with the public.
 Hereunder is an Overview of what Work can be:
• Police patrol, whether or foot, in an automobile, or in whatever
manner it is performed, is the basic law enforcement method.
• While it is not as spectacular and glamorous as other many
interesting police work, it gets the basic police work of crime
prevention done.
• Careful patrol by intelligent officers is the first line of defense
against crime.
• The man of the beat, the day-by-day work that makes or breaks a
law enforcement agency that controls the majority of criminals and
is the major basis of the police function of life and property and
service to the public.
• Many officers will find duty monotonous. This is the fault
of the officer, rather than the fault of duty.
• Patrol is monotonous if the officer is only trying to put
eight hours on duty while walking or driving around the
area assigned to him.
• On the other hand, patrol can be extremely interesting if
the officer tries to do a good job. In patrol work the officer
is dealing largely with people.
• The study of individuals is one of the most interesting
subjects in the world.
• If the patrol officers on duty attempt to analyze his area,
the people on the area and their problems, he will find
that time goes faster and he is doing a better job. No
matter how dead a beat may seem, there is a great deal
to be observed if the officer is looking for it.
• Each area has its own characteristics and its own police
problem.
• Much of then monotony often associated with patrol work
will disappear where the officer makes an intelligent effort
to discover and solve problems.
 Patrol Operation
• The organization and operation of the patrol force
is said to be asemblance of the pattern of
organization of a police department because patrol
is the police. Due to the nature of work they
perform, they adhere very closely to rigid chain of
command, specific assignment of duties and
responsibilities, and functional job description that
distinguishes betweenline and staff authority.
• The objectives of the patrol.
• Force era the same as those of a police organization. The
uniformed patrol officer represents all the powers and
responsibilities of the police. In a very real sense, the
uniformed patrol force is the police, while the specialized
functions represent in depth application of responsibilities
and techniques which the patrol officer initiates. In fact,
the patrolman on the beat, or beat officer,in August
Vollmer’s opinion should be the virtual organic unit.
• The operational heart of a police organization is the patrol force,
to which other bureaus, divisions, sections, units relate or
participate in a supportive capacity. The patrol force incorporates
all objectives inherent in the police organizations. O.W. Wilson, a
protege of August Vollmer, who took his place when he retired as
Dean of Graduate Studies in Criminology in the University of
California at the Berkeley campus, and Superintendent of the
Chicago Police Department stated:
• “Policing should be considered a patrol service with specialized
activities developed as aids,”
• Since the problem of crime is the concern of
government and crime prevention is the basic
responsibility of the police, enforcement of laws
through effective patrol work is its motivating
ingredient to achieve peace and order. Undeniably,
the progress of the community is inseparably linked
with peace and order. Without peace, without order,
society is doomed politically, socially, economically,
and culturally.
• A police department is organized first and foremost for
crime prevention. In a newly created community a prime
concern of local government officials and citizens is
peace and order. Hence, priority is the establishment of a
police department entrusted with the basic responsibility
of crime prevention.
• They are aware of the police role to safeguard the
community’s progress and stability. Operationally, this
task is the sole responsibility of the patrol force of any
police organization.
• The prevention of crime is a fundamental role
of the patrol force. The preventive role of the
individual patrolman on his beat is a basic
element of modern police service. The more
presence of a properly organized and
efficiently operating patrol force is conceded
to be one of the greatest crime deterrents thus
far developed by organized society.
• In any police department that patrol force is the single largest
operating element. It is considered the backbone as well as the
core of the police organization. All other police services emanates
from patrol for sole purpose of supporting and enhancing its crime
prevention activities. Undeniable, an effective patrol force lessens
the necessity for organizing specialized operating units; the
tendency to glamorize specialization at the sacrifice of patrol is
diminished. Because the work role of the patrol is force, day-in
and day-out, brings them in direct contact with all segments of the
community, they are the most visible representatives of the
department.
• Every local government and police chief executive
are cognizant that the patrol function is the most
important element of the police department. Hence,
policies that attract and retain highly qualified and
interested personnel should be adopted. To
achieve maximum, performance, patrol operations
must effectively organize and professionally
managed.
 The Primary Importance of Patrol
• In recent years, the police mission in contemporary society has
become incredibly varied and complex, and law enforcement
agencies are growing and evolving at a rapid pace. Patrol remains,
however, the most important of all police functions. All other police
services and activities exist for the exclusive purpose of
supporting and enhancing the patrol effort because:
• Patrol is the essence of the police function
• The patrol force is the single largest element in the police
organization, and the actions taken by the patrol officers have a
direct impact on citizen satisfaction and well-being and on the
accomplishment of police goals and objectives.
• The patrol function is also the most visible form of police activity,
furthering the community’s well-being and perception of the level
of local government services.
• The individual patrol officer represents the police department in its
contact with the community. The actions of the patrol officer have
far-reaching consequences for the police agency, for the citizenry,
and for the quality of justice in contemporary society.
• Police administrator must recognize and emphasize that the patrol
office is the most important member of the police organization and
that all other police activities must be supportive of the patrol
mission.
Crime Prevention and Crime Control: Distinction
• By definition, crime prevention is the reduction or
elimination of the desire and/or opportunity to commit a
crime.
• Distinctively, crime prevention and crime control is the
primary concern of the police. Whenever a police force is
organized in a newly created municipality its first and
foremost responsibility is peace and order through crime
prevention. However, in combination, or if crime
prevention and crime control is applied jointly, both will
serve as a means of reducing crime in the community.
• To draw a fine line of distinction between the concept of crime
prevention and that of crime control is to infer to the priority
between the chicken or the egg. Functionally, however, in the
operational scheme of a police department of a patrol force is
basically responsible for the prevention of the commission of
misconduct. An effective crime prevention program of the
department but a weak implementing strategy by the patrol force
will obviously open a full opportunity for the commission of
criminal activities.
• Thus, crime prevention gives way to crime control. Whatever the
patrol officer fails to prevent will naturally go unabated.
 Consequently, the Ultimate Course of Action is:
• Control before the crime escalates into serious proportions.
• Therefore, the concept of prevention and control is:
• basically to prevent.
• ultimately to control.
• Logically, under the existing situation, the combination or joint
implementation of both (prevention and control) will undeniably
serve as a means of reducing crime occurrence in our society.
The international Association of Chiefs of Police is emphatic on
the police role in crime prevention, stating: “Law enforcement
agencies have a specific task to perform for the community they
serve. First and foremost crime must be prevented and controlled.”
 Defining the Role of Patrol
• The term role means:
• A specific type of behavior that is to be expected from
an individual who
– occupies a particular position with attendant responsibility
and authority.
– Applied to patrol functions, what specific type of behavior
can the community expect from the patrol officer when
performing his crime prevention role?
• This question is presented in this study in order to
arouse a lively interaction among the students.
Hence, it is a basis for research for a subsequent
class discussion.
• Typically, the patrol force is the single largest
element in the police organization, and the actions
taken by patrol officers have direct impact on
citizen satisfaction and well-being on the
accomplishment of police goals and objectives.
• The patrol function is also the most visible form of police activity,
furthering the community’s well being and perception of the level
and quality of local government services. The individual patrol
officer represents the police department in its contact with the
community. The actions of the patrol officer have far-reaching
consequences for the police agency, for the citizenry, and for the
quality of justice in contemporary society. Indeed, the individual
officers play a major role in determining the quality of justice in a
given community. Errors made at the level of the patrol functions
may have significant negative effects on the remainder of the
criminal justice process.
• With the integration of all local police forces in
our country as mandated by Presidential
Decree No. 765. Approved on August 8, 1975,
our law enforcement profession is caught up
in a dramatic and often painful transformation.
This is because the philosophical foundation
of the Philippine police system is based upon
the concept of civilian control.
 Effects of Police Integration
• Changes in public attitude towards the police
brought about by current police methods and
manner in which police operations are conducted.
During the ensuing years our policing objectives of
crime prevention strayed widely from this concept.
Specialization became the trend so that preventive
policing gave way to the glamorous, exciting crime
fighting syndrome.
• Obviously, a great deal of thoughtful consideration needs
to be given to changing notions of priority given to police
specialization rather than to the role of patrol and the
patrol officer. Consequently, with the present trend in the
thinking of most police officials, the change will not come
too soon. Nevertheless, it is necessary that a definite step
be taken to properly define the goals and objectives of
patrol: to establish the overall police role in society since
patrol is the real essence in the contemporary police
function.
• As previously cited in this study, the police,
in its law enforcement tasks renders three
major functions, namely:
• Crime Prevention
• Crime Investigation
• Traffic Supervision
• Operationally, traffic supervision is the second
largest police function in point of police services.
However its hour of performance is scheduled
according to the volume of vehicles and pedestrians
using the thoroughfares. Generally, the working
schedule of traffic officers is form 6:30 a.m. to 9:30
p.m. or lesser, depending upon the size of the
department, the terrain being covered and the
volume of vehicles and pedestrians to be controlled.
• Unlike in patrol work, traffic officers are in
direct contact with the public only when they
are to affect an arrest or simply to issue a
ticket for traffic violation. Otherwise, the traffic
officer is always at the street corner or
intersection directing the movement of
motorists and pedestrians.
• The crime investigation aspect of a police
department is performed by detectives in
plainclothes. Operationally, they render a 25-hour
service to the public. But the investigators are in
direct contact with the public- the victims, the
suspects, and witnesses only when they are
involved in crimes under investigations. Otherwise,
they stay in the writing reports of pursuing follow-up
investigation for their pending cases.
• Significantly, since the patrol force is the single largest element in
a police organization whose members patrol the streets on foot,
dressed in the familiar khaki uniform, or riding in conspicuously
marked, radio-equipped patrol cars, the nature of their service
brings them in direct and constant contact with the public every
hour of the day, every hour of the night, and every day and night
of the year. Hence, patrol can be defined as:
• The only form of police service that directly attempts to eliminate
the desire and/or opportunity to commit misconduct on the part of
an individual.
• Hence, patrol can be defined as:
• The only form of police service
that directly attempts to eliminate
the desire and/or opportunity to
commit misconduct on the part of
an individual.
 Desire and Opportunity: Co-Existence in the
Commission of Crime

• Conceptually, it appears from the definition

that in crime prevention task patrol work is:
• The only form of police service
• It is directly responsible for the elimination of
desire and/or opportunity of a person to
commit conduct.
• In understanding human behavior for effective
police work the patrol officer assumes the role
of a street-level psychologist. He knows that
only people commit crime; he also knows that
in order to commit the act these two factors
must co-exist:
• Desire
• Opportunity
• He knows further that there must be a strong desire in an
individual to commit the crime and likewise; the opportunity to do
so must be present, must exist. Ultimately, he knows that to
consummate the act these two factors desire and opportunity
must co-exist; that if either one is missing the act is not
consummated. Hence, no crime is committed.
• Accordingly which of these two components must be patrol officer,
in his crime prevention task, eliminate so as to prevent the
commission of a crime?
• This thought-provoking question will surely elicit a lively class
discussion.
 Part III
Types of Patrol
• In most modern police agencies patrol is performed in
many different ways and through the use of a variety of
methods. So far, the adoption of the automobile as a
standard police equipment for patrol work tops the patrol
activity for crime prevention. A broad, this is augmented
by progressive police departments with other ty6pes,
such as the bicycle patrol, the motorcycle patrol, the
marine patrol, the canine patrol, the motorcycle patrol, the
decoy patrol. Etc.
• Nevertheless, inspite of these contemporary
developments in crime prevention methods and
strategies, the traditional foot patrol is still the
foremost among the different types of patrol
activities.
• According to one authoritive source, the word patrol
is derived from the French patroullier, which
means, roughly, to travel on foot.
• The most common and the best known form of police
patrol the world over is that performed on foot by a
policeman in uniform. Its success in controlling crime was
discovered in London in 1763, when Henry Fielding,
aided by his brother St. John, both of whom were Bow
Street Magistrates successively, organized a force known
as the Bow Street Foot Patrol. This was a group of men
who were privately employed an specially trained as thief
takers. Its demonstrated utility gave rise to Robert Field’s
Metropolitan Police Act of 1829.
 Police Patrol: Philippine Setting
• Under our own setting, the beginning of Philipine
policing follows the same pattern and objectives
of American policing – foot patrol for the protectin
of life and property from criminal attack.
Historically, as it is repeatd here for emphasis,
Section 2275, Book III, Title IX, Article XI of the
Revised Administrative Code of the Philippines,
approved on March 10, 1917. provides.
• Requirement of police service or patrol duty from male
residents – when the province or municipality in infested
with outlaws the municipal council, with the approval of the
provincial governor, may authorize the mayor to require
able-bodied male residents of the municipality, between the
ages of eighteen and fifty years, to assist, for a period not
exceeding five days in any one month in apprehending
outlaws or other lawbreakers and suspicious characters,
and to act as patrols for the protection of the municipality,
not exceeding one day in each week.
• Since that time, uniformed policemen have been
employed to patrol the streets on foot to protect the
lives and property of citizens. Adaptations of this
protective service have taken many forms,
according to the needs of the locality concerned.
The typical beat, however, is patrolled by a single,
uniformed patrolman, and the area consists of a
number of blocks or squares comprising up to a
square mile.
• However, in order to determine whether one or
more men will be required or assigned in a certain
area and how they shall perform their duties is
determined by the following factors:
• The effectiveness of the patrol desired.
• The police problems encountered on the beat.
• The objective applied in laying out the area for
effective patrol.
• The term beat, as repeatedly mentioned in this study, is concerned
with:
• A geographic area to which an officer is assigned for patrol
purposes on foot.
• Assurance that the patrol force is evenly distributed throughout the
city so that all sections of the city are patrolled on an equal basis.
• The patrol beat assignment places a responsibility on patrol officers
to walk their areas (beat) constantly and alertly and to exert a
greater degree of interest in the beat to which they are assigned.
• Guiding the patrol sergeant (supervisor) to direct and control the
activities of subordinates because of specific areas of coverage.
 Factors to be Considered when Designing
Patrol Beats:

• The size of the area to be covered.

• Natural or man-made barriers, i.e.,
rivers, railroad tracks, major
thoroughfares, bridges, buildings, etc.,
to serve as boundaries for each beat.
 The Foot Patrol
• Put the cop back on the beat, is an assertive statement of
O.W. Wilson, a recognized authority in American policing.
He observed that the automobile, once introduced into the
police service, quickly became the standard means of
transportation for the patrol force so much so that the
walking beats dwindled in number as their limitations,
compared to the greater mobility and speed of the
automobile, became more noticeable.
• However, this is not to say that walking beats are of no
more value in performing the patrol functions.
• On the contrary, there are advantages derived from foot
patrol as compared to mobile patrol, such as:
• Foot patrol provides closer observation of persons and
things.
• Foot patrol maintains better personal contact with citizens
and develops police-community relations because
citizens appreciate the presence of good police officers in
their neighborhood.
• Foot patrol can enter small alleys and side streets.
• In downtown business areas merchants appreciate the presence
of reliable uniformed walking patrolmen as a deterrent to
vandalism, shoplifting, snatching, loitering, etc.
• Closer observation of surroundings conditions and circumstances
that may require police attention which if not immediately acted
upon by foot patrol may escalate into serious crimes.
• The foot patrolman, before lunging himself into any situation has
sufficient time to assess/estimate the nature and degree of the
incident.
 The Mobile Patrol
• On the other hand, it is likely that the radio-equipped automobile
will continue to be the dominant form of transportation for the
patrol officer in the foreseeable future because of the following
advantages:
• Mobile patrolling covers a wider area.
• Mobile patrolling provides faster response to public calls.
• Mobile patrolling provides constant availability to public calls.
• Mobile patrolling provides an element of surprise, specially when a
crime is in progress.
• Mobile patrolling provides the officer with needed
protection during inclement weather and enables
the officer to carry other equipment.
• Mobile patrolling is less tiresome than foot
patrolling and thereof, the patrol officer is in a better
mental and physical condition to deal with an
emergency when it arises.
• Mobile patrolling is more economical.
• By comparison and contrast, we have
pointed out the pros and cons of the
two types of patrol used for crime
prevention strategies in the Philippine
policing system-the foot patrol and the
mobile patrol.
• Historically, our traditional foot patrolling was initiated in
August 7, 1901 by operation of Act No.183 known as the
Charter of Manila, enacted on July 31, 1901. Gov. William
H. Taft, the first Civil Governor of the Philippines formally
created the Manila Police Department. Likewise, the
second recorded event concerning patrol methods in
police work was on March 10, 1917, as provided for in the
Revised Administrative Code of the Philippines when it
mentioned, “Requirements of police service for patrol duty
by male residents”.
• After (53) fifty-three years of foot patrolling in the
Philippine policing system, the first automobile patrol was
introduced on May 17, 1954 by the Manila Police
Department, through the initiative and foresight of Hon.
Arsenio H. Lacson, the first elective Mayor of Manila. The
writer of this study was designated by the Mayor to
organize the first Chief of the Mobile Patrol efficient
performance contributed to the acquired prestige of the
police force as “Manila’s Finest.”
• Initially operating with thirty units of radio-equipped
automobiles, the Manila Police Department fielded
ten units for every eight-hour tour of duty to cover,
during those years, the city’s area of 14.78 square
miles. Presently, Manila’s land area is 38.28 sq. km.
In planning the patrol sectors to be covered by the
Mobile Patrol Chief with the six Police Precinct Foot
Patrol Commanders to achieve the following
coordinated function.
• In manpower distribution, foot patrolmen shall
concentrate within the busy, congested,
commercial and financial areas during
business hours, whereas, the patrol cars shall
cruise the outer parameters. Mobile patrol
serves as a back-up or pursuit vehicle for the
beat patrolmen in case of emergencies.
• Another effective coordinated effort between the foot and
the mobile patrol is to combine its patrol efforts. This is
accomplished when the patrol officer assigned to a
motorized sector parks the car at a strategic place and
patrols on foot within the hearing distance of the vehicle’s
radio transmission. This practice becomes fully practical
without jeopardizing the effectiveness of the greater
mobility offered by the radio equipped automobile. As
O.W. Wilson wrote:
• “Progressive police executives consider the
motorized officer to be nothing more than a
foot patrol man who has been provided with
an automobile to transport him quickly and
without fatigue from the location of one police
tasks to another. (They) consider it the duty of
a motorized officer to perform, within his area,
all the tasks of a foot patrolman.”
• Coordinately, a foot patrolman and a mobile
patrolman have the same responsibility to the
community - crime prevention. However, they
differ only in the performance of that duty -
one performs his functions with an auto-
mobile, whereas, the other performs his duties
on foot.
 Motorcycle Patrol
• Used for traffic enforcement, escort and
parade duty.
• Owing to several operational limitations,
including cost
• operation, safety hazards and limited use
during adverse weather, some have
abandoned its use
 The Bicycle Patrol
• Many police departments abroad have successfully
adopted bicycle patrol because:
• It can cover areas that are not accessible by patrol
cars, or are too widespread to be patrolled by foot.
• It has the combined advantage of mobility an
stealth because the bicycle can be operated very
quietly and without attracting attention.
• It is found to be highly effective in combating theft,
burglary, vandalism in residential areas, parks, and
shopping malls.
• It is also effective used by plainclothes patrol officers for
surveillance a high crime areas wherein the officers wear
non-descript clothes to blend with the apparel commonly
worn by criminals and hoodlums.
• It is inexpensive to operate
• In the Philippines setting the bicycle of a patrol was
once introduced by the Manila Police in1939 to
augment the foot patrol coverage in parks and
residential areas. Unfortunately, when two patrol
officers were filled – one was stabbed when
chasing on his bicycle a bag snatcher at the Luneta
Park while the other was side-swiped by a bus,
bicycle patrolling was abandoned because it was
then consider hazardous.
• Presently, considering our economic condition wherein a
radio-equipped patrol car is only a allotted ten liters of
gasoline for an eight-hour tour of duty, covering a patrol
sector comprising approximately three square miles, the
revival of bicycle patrolling is believed practical and
necessary. Police Administrators and Commanders
should give it a very serious study. While bicycle patrol
cannot imperative and highly effective in certain
conditions and serves as a very useful supplement to
other forms of police patrol.
 Bay and River Patrol
• Marine or water patrol units, aside from being a highly specialized
from of police patrol, is likewise expensive to maintain. In the early
years of the PCINP integration, it was the Western Police District
who introduced this type of patrol in police work.
• The objective was to use the water craft in the anti-smuggling
operations along the Pasig River and Manila Bay, as well as
against robberies committed in bonded warehouses located along
the river banks. However, because the expenses incurred in its
operation and maintenance did not compensate the advantages,
police-wise it became inoperative.
Helicopter and Fixed-Wing Arcraft Patrols
 Canine Patrol
• Has limited applications for police patrol operations.
• Dog patrols are used primarily for search purposes,
to detect contraband, and to tract down missing
wanted persons.
• Should not be used in connection with routine
patrol
• activities or in crowd control or riot situations owing
to adverse public reaction.
Horse Patrol
 CHAPTER IV
PATROLS MEHODS AND STRATEGIES
• The Contemporary Trend
• Years ago the patrol function comprises the bulk of the police
department’s resources, and police patrol officers constituted the
mainstays of the police patrol effort. Lately, with the introduction of
the mobile patrol, the foot patrol function was taken, more or less,
for granted. Thus, foot patrol officers have become not only
frustrated but disgusted at the lack of attention give to them. The
consequence is that that their patrol their beats, if they do at all,
randomly and without any specific purpose or objective.
• The decade of the 1970’s has brought about a number of things
which have happened to cause all that change. Foremost is an
emphasis on specialization in police operation. Different
specialized units were introduced at the sacrifice of patrol. The
patrol force was depleted because of the transfer of its members
to the different glamorized special units. Obviously, the shift is on
crime fighting, which is much publicized, rather than preventing.
• If the police are to continue to fulfill their basic responsibilities to
detect and deter crimes and to apprehend criminals, which are the
primary goals of patrol activities, they must continue to search for
new and more effective patrol activities.
• No single patrol strategy will work well in all cases or in every
police justification. The choice of the particular patrol strategy, or
combination of strategies, to be employed will depend upon:
• The resources of the police agency concerned.
• The particular crime problems and patrol objective.
• The characteristics of the individual community.
• The imagination and determination of the police administrator and
his patrol commander in developing patrol strategies tailored to
best meet the needs of their department and the community their
police will serve.
• “Policing” states Orlando W. Wilson, former Chief of Police of
Wichita, Kansas, former superintendent of the Chicago Police
Department and until his death Dean of the Graduate School of
Criminology in the University of California at Berkeley, “should be
considered a patrol service with specialized activities as aids.”
• That statement expresses a truism as a fundamental police
administrative principle. It is the patrol officer who, as a matter of
routine operational practice, is charged with the performance of
the full range of complex responsibilities inherent in the police task.
The patrol officer, in a very real sense, represents in microcosm
the police organization.
• The uniform patrol officer represents all the powers and
responsibilities of the police. In a very real sense, the uniformed
patrol division is the police. The specialized branches serve as
aids, and take over what the patrol officer initiates, such as:
• The patrol officer conducts an initial investigation of a crime in his
beat-the detective takes over to complete the investigation.
• The patrol officer makes the first contact with a youth in trouble,
the juvenile officer follows up.
• The patrol officer - the traffic specialist investigates in detail if it
involves serious injuries.
• Since crime must be viewed as the major concern both by
the police and the community, and no less than seventy
percent of the people feel that law and order has lately
broken down- deteriorated, it is important that they begin
to give careful reexamination and concern to crime
prevention, and to revitalized the methods and objectives
of police patrol because patrol activities have a
considerable impact upon community safety and citizen
well-being and are too important to be taken for granted. It
is hoped that something would happen to change all that.
 The Psychology of Omnipresence:
• Patrol Strategy in Crime Prevention
• If the police are to continue to fulfill their basic responsibilities to
prevent crime and apprehend criminals, which are the primary
goals of patrol activities, then they must continue to search for
new and more effective strategies.
• Police department, whether large or small, perform patrol
functions in many different ways and through the use of a variety
of methods. No single patrol strategy will work well in all cases or
in every police jurisdiction because the choice of the particular
patrol strategy or combination of strategies to be applied will
depend upon:
• The resources of the department involving men,
money and materials.
• The particular crime problems, according to time and
place.
• The characteristics of the community.
• The imagination and determination of the chief of
police and patrol officials in developing patrol
programs to meet the needs of his department and
the community.
• While it is true that the patrol officer cannot detect the
thinking and desire of the criminal, he can destroy the
opportunity to commit a crime by his ever-present patrol
strategy-the psychology of omnipresence.
• The psychology of omnipresence, as an initial police
strategy, is to establish the aura of police presence in the
community, is best exemplified and effectively applied in:
• Patrol’s crime prevention activities by uniformed foot
patrolman as well as mobile patrol crew in conspicuously
marked, radio-equipped patrol cars.
 The Strategic Objective of Omnipresence is for:

• The patrol officer to be seen alertly and constantly

patrolling so as to establish a highly visible police
presence psychologically felt inspite of his physical
absence, thereby creating:
• A feeling of security on the part of the law abiding citizen.
• A feeling of fear on the part of the would-be violator.
• A feeling of confidence that the police are constantly
available to respond to any situation a moment’s notice.
• There is no denying that a criminal, in planning to
commit a crime, is not solely prompted by his
strong desire. More importantly, he has to consider
the presence of an opportunity, i.e., the absence of
apprehension, wherein the police are known to be
lax, inefficient, scarce. So, communities in which
their police have established a reputation of being
extremely vigilant and aggressive in their patrol
functions are avoided by criminals.
• This would be the rewarding outcome of a
positive outlook in preventive police patrol
strategy. In chapter II of this study, it was
discussed that patrol and observation is
the first among the activities wherein the
patrol force is responsible.
 Establishing the Police Presence
• An effective strategy in crime prevention work is constant and
alert patrolling. The patrol function, if effectively implemented, is
the most recognizable from of police activity furthering the
community’s well-being and perception.
• The individual patrol officer presents the police department in its
contact with the community. The action of the patrolman has far
reaching consequences for the police agency, for the citizenry,
and for the quality of justice in a given community. Errors made at
the level of the patrol function may have significant negative
effects on the remainder of the criminal justice process. The
patrol function is also the most visible form of police activity.
• The application of the psychology of
omnipresence to the existent factors
of desire and opportunity to commit a
crime exists only in the of the would
be criminal. It cannot be seen. Neither
can it be perceived nor felt by others.
 Patrol Supervision
• Hands on - supervisor involved in day to
day activities.
• Command - supervisor shows up at
incident sites and gives orders
• Counsel - supervisor available and when
requested shows up at incident sites.
• Patrol Techniques
• Routine Patrol
• Directed Patrol
• D-Runs
• Saturation Patrol
• Split Force
• Suspect-Oriented Patrol
 Routine Patrol

• Assumptions:
• Create an Omnipresence
• Deters Crime
• Enable police officers to catch
criminals in the act
 Focus on specific department goals
• Saturation Patrol
• High Visibility Patrol
• Hot Spots
• Increased Traffic Enforcement
• Split Force
• One portion of the patrol force handling all calls
dispatched to patrol units, while the other only performs
directed patrol assignments.
• Continuous presence
 Police Functional Units
• Bureau - the largest organic functional unit within a
large department. It comprises of numbers of
divisions. Ex. PNP, BFP, BJMP
• Division - a primary subdivision of a bureau.
• Section - functional unit within a division that is
necessary for specialization.
• Unit - functional group within a section; or the
smallest functional group within an organization.
• Section - a primary subdivision of a bureau
with a department wide responsibility for
providing a specific specialized functions.
• Unit - a subdivision of a section usually small
in size with personnel assigned to perform a
specialized activity, one or two
employees performing assigned work.
• Squad - a subdivision of a unit.
• Detail - a subdivision of a squad.
• Precinct -the primary geographic
subdivision of the patrol operation bureau.
• Sector - the primary geographic
subdivision of a precinct, supervised by a
sergeant.
 Police Territorial Units
• Post - a fixed point or location to which an officer is assigned for
duty, such as a designated desk or office or an intersection or
cross walk from traffic duty. It is a spot location for general guard
duty.
• Post - a fixed geographic location usually assigned to an
individual officer.
• Route - a length of streets designated for patrol purposes. It is
also called Line Beat.
• Beat - an area assigned for patrol purposes, whether foot or
motorized.
• Sector - an area containing two or more beats, routes, or post.
• Watch/Shift - one of several tours of duty.
• Task Force - an adhoc work group normally established
by bureau commander to respond to a specific incident or
series of related incidents. Task Force assignment is
temporary.
• Area - a section or territorial division of a large city each
comprised of designated districts.
• District - a geographical subdivision of a city for patrol
purposes, usually with its own station.
• Polis - greek word which means city.
POST
Route
• Stop and Frisk - the situation in which police
officers who are suspicious of an individual run
their hands lightly over the suspects outer
garments to determine if the person is carrying a
concealed weapon. Also called Inquiry of Pat Down.
• Excited Delirium - an overdose of adrenaline that
can occur in heated confrontation with the police.
 Patrol Strategies
• Patrol objectives could not be achieved simply by
assigning a given number of personnel to patrol
duties. Patrol methods should be designed to
enhance the crime deterrence and criminal
apprehension capabilities of the patrol.
• Evaluate to determine the extent to which they are
appropriate for replication in other jurisdictions.
• Directed Patrol
• Is a strategy in which patrol officers are involved in
designing and implementing patrol activities on the basis
of an analysis of specific community problems.
• Interactive Patrol
• Similar to directed patrol but has emphasis on police
citizen interaction. Input is sought in resolving patrol
problems.
• Community-Oriented Policing
• The individual beat officer becomes the focal point in identifying
problems peculiar to his or her beat and in developing solutions.
Stresses the accountability of the individual patrol officer and thus
seeks to develop in patrol personnel a greater sense of
commitment to duties and responsibilities.
• Decoy Patrol
• The principal tactics are blending and decoy, in which patrol
personnel are deployed in specific high crime areas in discreet
disguises in an effort to blend into their surroundings in the
expectation of observing crimes in progress.
• Aggressive Patrol
• Emphasis is on positive, target-oriented activities
by the patrol officer i.e. highly selective but
thorough physical security inspections conducted in
a specific geographic area. Effective if it is based
on crime analysis which provides information
concerning identifiable crime trends and activities.
• Team Policing
• This is an attempt to decentralize the police
organization in order to make it more responsive to
the localized needs and interests of neighborhood
and community groups.
• Generally, team policing is viewed as a method of
providing police services which exhibits the
following characteristics:
• Geographic stability of patrol through
permanent assignment of police teams to
small areas or neighborhoods.
• Maximum communication and interaction,
coordination and cooperation among team
members, fostered through the practice of
working together to solve common problems.
• Better communication and interaction, between team
members and community.
• Different styles of management, supervision and decision
making which emphasize the involvement and
participation of individual team members in making
decisions which affect the operations of the team.
• Deemphasis of specialist skills in favor of a generalist
approach in which team members are given wider latitude
in dealing with day-to-day problems.
 Part V
Team Policing: A Prelude to Neighborhood Interaction
• Concept
• The Philippine police system, as repeatedly stated in this study, is
the lifestyle of American policing. Hence, the paramilitary
organizational structure is the essential characteristic, wherein the
following are the dominant features:
• Specialization of functions
• Centralized administration
• Hierarchical chain of command principle
• Unquestioned obedience to authority, and
• Strict regulation of patrol operations.
• Likewise personnel and services are allocated on the basis of a
specialized
• Division of labor, to be performed according to standardized
operating procedures.
• In departments with separate detective units, specialization
requires that:
• Patrol officers who take cognizance of the initial crime complaint
immediately turn the case over to specialist investigators.
• Consequently, the backbone (patrol) of the force rarely
participates in the development of cases or in the decision –
making concerning their outcome.
• In the paramilitary set-up, all significant decision-
making and the management of tactical operations
are centralized at supervisory and administrative
levels. Middle and upper echelon personnel
unilaterally establish policy and transmit it downward
through an autocratic system of superior and
subordinate relationships. Status, authority, and
autonomy are directly related to position and rank in
the police organization.
• As a consequence, the performance and
operational activities of patrol officers become
highly circumscribed, regimented and
mechanized.
• The entire system is closed, resistant to
change and innovation, rejective of civilian
input, and insulated from public accountability.
• While it is true that there was a time when this monocratic and
routinized model of organization was a rational and viable
mechanism for operating police agencies and controlling police
corruption, today the quasi-military basis and philosophy is
becoming an obsolete pattern for responding to:
• Contemporary needs of police professionalism
• The exercise of discretion
• Shared decision making
• Increased complexity of the police role and patrol functions
Neighborhood Team Policing: A Police Community Interaction

• Conceptually, team policing represents an attempt to

integrate the police and community interests into a
working relationship so as to produce the desired
objective of peace keeping in the community.
• Team policing is said to have originated in Aberdeen,
Scotland, shortly after World War II. The project was
introduced by the Aberdeen Police out of boredom, after
appearing that their policemen who were assigned alone
to patrol quiet streets during the night were getting bored
and experiencing low morale.
• To remedy the situation, it allocated teams of
five to ten men on foot and in patrol cars to
cover the city of Aberdeen. The patrols were
distributed according to the concentration of
crimes and citizen calls for police service, with
the teams moving to different sections of the
city as the workload demande. Thus, the
monotony and loneliness were relieved.
• Whatever was the motivation for its introduction in police
performance the system was abandoned in 1963 in the city of its
origin? Nevertheless, its influence has already spread and adopted
by no less than seventy police agencies in the United States. The
Syracuse Police Department in New York was the first American
city to try team policing.
• This was followed by the Tucson, Arizona police also in 1963. By
mid-1976 the interest increased and a number of police
departments of different sizes and in widely scattered parts of
America, like Los Angeles and Detroit have adpted some forms of
team policing programs.
• Ever since professionalism was emphasized as one of the sought-
for objectives in contemporary policing progressive police thinkers
have studied team policing as a means of improving the quality of
law enforcement service to the community. They gave the system
the American touch and looked upon team policing as the magical
thrust because:
• It has been described as an innovative and imaginative form of
policing that represents a dramatic departure from the traditional
patrol methods.
• It represents an attempt to integrate the police into a working
relationship.
• It appears to represent a viable alternative to traditional methods
of policing and is particularly prominsing in large cities having
different community groups and interests.
• It provides police strategies suitable to local conditions and citizen
expectations.
• It destroys the situation wherein the police become a loof from
the community they are sworn to serve.
• Improved cooperation from the public assures the police a reliable
source of criminal information for the arrest of suspects and
providing testimony in any subsequent court trial.
• Thus, we can conclude that effective police- community
cooperation is critical to the success of a team policing
system. The public must be informed of the team policing
concept, its objectives and goals; public assistance and
participation must be solicited actively. Successful
community involvement programs depend on the direct
participation in the planning stages. On going public
commitment is encouraged by continually seeking citizens
opinions., ideas, and assistance in resolving problems of
mutual concern.
 Characteristics of Team Policing
• While there is no “pure” model of team policing, most
programs that have been described as team policing in
the United States share the following characteristics:
• Geographical Stability of the Patrol Force – In most team
policing programs, team members are assigned to
neighborhood districts on a permanent basis. This helps
to foster a greater sense of awareness of an sensitivity
to local police problems by team members.
 Maximum Interaction Between Team Members

• A fundamental principle of the team policing concept is

that team members must be given the opportunity to work
closely together in solving problems, as opposed to the
fragmented and disjointed manner in which problem
solving is often approached in many traditional police
agencies. Team members are encouraged to share
information with one another through informal meetings
and conferences whereby they can develop participative
strategies directed toward the accomplishment of specific
goals and objectives.
 Maximum Communication between Team
Members and Community Residents

• One of the important features of team policing is

that it is intended to develop a greater sense of
understanding and increased cooperation between
members of the patrol force and community
residents. This is accomplished by encouraging
members of the community problems with team
members.
 Models of Policing
• Neighborhood Oriented Policing - a philosophy of
police suggesting that problem solving is best done at the
neighborhood level, where issues originate not at a far-off
central headquarters.
• Pro Active Policing - aggressive law enforcement style
in which patrol officers take the initiative against crime
instead of waiting for criminal acts to occur.
• Problem Oriented Policing - a style of
police management that stresses pro active problem
solving instead of reactive crime fighting.
 Organizational Features of Team Policing

• While the structure and composition of team policing programs

vary widely, these programs usually exhibit the following
organizational features:
• Unity of Supervision - Intended to enhance consistency and
continuity of police policies and procedures and to provide greater
uniformity in developing solutions to community problems.
• Low-Level Flexibility in Decision Making - Team members are
encouraged to share and exchange ideas, and work together in
solving problems within their area of responsibility.
• Unified Delivery of Services - It places emphasis
on the development of generalist, rather than
specialist, skills among team members.
• Combined Investigation and Patrol Functions -
This is designed to bridge the gap between patrol
officers and investigators, thereby leading to a
more cooperative approach to problem solving.
Team Policing: Its Mechanics As An Alternative Patrol Strategy

• According to the American Bar Association, “the semi-

military model that is the dominant form of organization in
police agencies. Is in fact a serious impediment to
effective fulfillment of the overall police functions”
• For an innovative managerial, organizational, and tactical
patrol alternative to the traditional patrol strategy they look
upon team policing as the new patrol structure which
constitute a sound administrative backbone of the police
force.
• As a new patrol structure and philosophy
of the patrol function, team policing
revolves around a team of police officers
who are given a fixed, continuous, and
expanded responsibility for providing all
police services to a well-defined
geographical area or neighborhood.
• In developing its method of operation, the team first surveys the
area in order to become familiar with the neighborhood resource
that may prove helpful. As greater rapport between the police and
the community is established, traditional hostilities and suspicions
are lessened. In small police departments the team may consist of
7 to 10 officers and from 14 to 50 officers in larger agencies.
• The team is unified under a leader whose responsibility is to
facilitate:
• Democratic participation in policy formulation
• Decentralized decision-making
• Participatory management of the group’s activities
• The team leader assumes the round-the-clock
responsibility for ensuring the protection of the community
comprising from about 12,000 to 35,000 residents of the
neighborhood. As such, his supervision is:
• Direct
• Informal
• Flexible
• Professional
• Collegial
• Furthermore, the team leader acts as a resource and guides and
monitors the situational leadership exercised by all team members.
• Likewise, under team policing, the patrol officer performs dual
functions-as a generalist and a specialist.
• As a generalist, the team performs their usual duties of routine
prevention patrol. As a specialist, they conduct investigation of
crimes brought to their attention, carrying the case through to
completion whenever feasible. If plainclothes detectives from the
central office are assigned to the team, they act as a supportive
element who will contribute to developing investigative knowledge
and skills in patrol personnel.
• In teams without detectives, patrol investigators are
expected to draw upon their individual and
collective group resources. They request outside
specialists only when absolutely necessary.
Otherwise, they handle situations and resolve
problems on their own, and they assume continuity
of responsibility for case management and
outcome.
 Team Policing: Personal Involvement and
Responsibility
• While the cause for introducing team policing in the
Aberdeen police force in Scotland was to remedy
the boredom of its policemen while on patrol duty
during the night, its method and strategy, on the
other hand, awakened American contemporary
police thinkers to an innovative idea of policing,
thus far, have been impressive, according to the
US President’s Crime Commission:
• That current evidence suggests that team policing
can:
• Reduce the crime rate and increase crime clearance.
• Increase the community’s participation in crime control.
• Reduce the public’s fear of crime.
• Improve police-community relations.
• Increase police morale and their line of job satisfaction.
• Facilitate career development.
• The lasting effect of team policing, it may cautiously be
concluded, is that patrol officers performs as both
generalists and specialists, their decision making
authority is enhanced, and police community relations are
central rather than peripheral to the police role in
contemporary society; that team policing has increased
the overall efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity of
police service.
• Summarily, the team policing
members perform the full-range of
police activities-peace keeping, crime
investigation, traffic direction and
accident investigation, juvenile control,
and other functions of specialists.
 Team Policing in the Philippine Setting - The PCRO

• On the other side of the American coin is their traditional

police administrator. They have also been studying ways
to improve their patrol service and thereby simply
describe team policing as an attempt to return to the basis,
the “ABC” of policing that was prevalent in their country
over a century ago, that
• Team policing is nothing more an attempt at the
decentralization of police departments and a duplication
of the present traditional police precinct or
• District police station’s functional set-up.
• Likewise, since the Philippine police system is patterned
after American policing, their contemporary.
• “Neighborhood Team Policing” also had its Counterpart in
our “Police-Community Relations Office (PCRO)” policing
introduced in the Manila.
• Police Department was back before the establishment of
the New Society and the subsequent police integration.
Being an innovative scheme which links.
• The police with the community or the
community with the police, the fact is that the
police, suspicious as always for any
encroachment into their organization look
upon any police-community interaction with
disdain. Consequently, the program of the
PCRO was not effectively established
throughout the department.
• On their hand, police precinct commanders who
subscribe to the program found the police -
community relationship scheme a peace-keeping
advantage. Unfortunately, before the objective of
the program can be fully achieve the police-
community relation linkage was discover also as an
effective political tool allegedly used by local city
officials, who then capitalized on the police
influence in the community.
• Hence, the trust of the police-community
relation mission neighborhood team
policing was shifted to police, community
and politics interaction.
• Lamentably, the program was completely
abandoned.
• Student of this study should then be
asked if team policing is considered
successful in American policing, can it be
applicable in the Philippine setting,
considering that our law enforcement
system is patterned after the American
context?
 The Barangay Tanod: The New Society

• Under the new society, the neighborhood team

policing concept was somewhat reflected in the
Barangay Tanod Brigade, an organization in the
Metro Manila area, assisting in the maintenance of
peace and order, enforcement of laws, orders and
decrees by the duly constituted authorities under
the guidance of the Metro Manila Commission,
• whose general objective is:
• To maintain peace and order, and its specific objectives
are:
• To assist in the prevention of crime and in the
preservation of public safety on the barangay level.
• To supplement the existing police forces during massive
security operation.
• To initiate police action as the need arises.
• Opening under the umbrella of the Barangay Community Brigade,
the “Tanods” are tapped by the Metropolitan Manila government
as potential manpower in the barangay to be utilized to cope with
common problems in the community, especially in peace and
order maintenance, thereby raising their level of consciousness so
that they too, shall have a role and a responsibility in society.
However, while it is obvious that the barangay tanod’s objectives
are only a semblance of the American neighborhood team policing
concept wherein the police-community interaction is not dominant,
undoubtedly the neighborhood spirit in the barangay tanod set-up
is predominant.
 Team Policing: An Analytical Study

• Under the comparison and contrast set-up in

our study neighborhood team policing system
the following question is brought to mind:
• If in the American concept the neighborhood
team policing is generally considered a
success, why is it that its applicability should
not also be effective in Philippine policing?
• In analyzing the pros and cons of the team
police system in the American context, the
following factors are presented for
consideration:
• men
• money and
• material.
• As explained earlier in this study the operation of
neighborhood team policing is to decentralize a police
department so that police personnel can become more
responsive to neighborhood problems and needs. Divisions
or precincts of large police departments are split into teams
of 20 to 50 police officers and police command personnel
and assigned to specific neighborhoods: wherein the team
duties, under the responsibility of a team commander is to
control crime, improve police relations, and provide all
police services on a twenty-four hours basis.
• Hence, the teams must be separately housed in every strategic
neighborhood, staffed and equipped for administrative functions
as well as for crime prevention and crime investigation operation.
Undoubtedly, notwithstanding related problems, team policing was
well receive in the American policing system, particularly in the
larger police departments, so much so that it receive the backing
of the American President’s crime commission, the standards
goals commission, and the law enforcement assistance
administration.
• Therefore men, money and material is not a problem for them.
• Unfortunately, on the other side of the Philippine coin, the three M’s
are our number one problem. We need not go further that.
Nevertheless, for purpose of search study, the following discussion
questions are presented:
• Considering Manila and its police department in point of
organizational, managerial, operational set-up, and geographical
condition will neighborhood team policing be a practical, effective,
and innovative approach to crime prevention strategy?
• What about with other urban cities and municipalities under
different set-ups and conditions?
• As previously stated in this study the success of
neighborhood team policing in the American setting
are in large police departments with sufficient
financial and manpower resources. In departments
policing small areas, with limited finances and
manpower, the system is not practical because it is
an expensive crime prevention operation.
• In the Philippine setting, most of the organizational set-up of our
police departments partake the nature of the neighborhood team
policing system. Generally, our departments have their police
precincts, presently called police stations, strategically distributed
in their respective jurisdictions, under the philosophy of bringing
the police closer to the people.
• Unfortunately, what is sadly lacking is the interaction of the police
with the residents of the community. The predominant attitude of
the police is still aloofness, a carry-over of the monocratic and
routinized system of policing.
• Hence, what is seriously needed is to
inject into our policing system a
working relationship between the
police and the community so as to
produce the desired objective of
peace keeping and law enforcement.
 Special Operating Procedures
• SOP #01 – POLICE BEAT PATROL PROCEDURES -
This SOP prescribes the basic procedures to be observed
by all PNP Units and mobile patrol elements in the
conduct of visibility patrols.

• SOP #02 – BANTAY KALYE - This SOP prescribes the

deployment of 85% of the PNP in the field to increase
police visibility and intensifies anti-crime campaign
nationwide.

• SOP #03 – SIYASAT - This SOP prescribes the guidelines

in the conduct of inspections to ensure police visibility.
• SOP #4 – REACT 166 - REACT 166 was launched in
1992 as the people’s direct link to the police to receive
public calls for assistance and complaints for prompt
action by police authorities. This SOP prescribes the
procedures in detail of Duty Officers, Telephone
Operators and Radio Operators for REACT 166; their
term of duty and responsibilities.
• SOP #5 – LIGTAS (ANTI-KIDNAPPING) - With the
creation of the Presidential Anti-Organization Crime Task
Force (PAOCTF), the PNP is now in support role in
campaign against kidnapping in terms of personnel
requirements. SOP #6 sets forth the PNP’s guidelines in
its fight against kidnapping activities.
• SOP #6 – ANTI-CARNAPPING - This
SOP prescribes the conduct of an all-out
and sustained Anti Carnapping campaign
to stop/minimize carnapping activities,
neutralize syndicated carnapping groups,
identify/prosecute government personnel
involved in carnapping activities, and to
effectively address other criminal activities
related to carnapping.
• SOP #7 – ANTI-TERRORISM - This prescribes the
operational guidelines in the conduct of operations
against terrorists and other lawless elements
involved in terroristic activities.
• SOP #8 – JOINT ANTI-BANK ROBBERY ACTION
COMMITTEE (ANTI-BANK ROBBERY) - This SOP
provides overall planning, integration, orchestration
/coordination and monitoring of all efforts to ensure
the successful implementation.
• SOP #9 – ANTI-
HIJACKING/HIGHWAY ROBBERY -
This SOP sets forth the guidelines and
concepts of operations to be observed
in the conduct of anti-highway
robbery/hold-up/hijacking operations.
• SOP #10 – PAGLALANSAG/PAGAAYOS-HOPE - This
SOP sets for the concept of operations and tasks of all
concerned units in the campaign against Partisan Armed
Groups and loose fire.

• SOP # 11 – MANHUNT BRAVO (NEUTRALIZATION OF

WANTED PERSONS) - This SOP sets forth the
objectives and concept of operation tasks of all concerned
units in the neutralization of wanted persons.
• SOP #12 – ANTI-ILLEGAL GAMBLING
This SOP sets forth the operational
thrusts to be undertaken by the PNP
that will spearhead the fight against all
forms of illegal gambling nationwide.
• SOP #13 – ANTI-SQUATTING - This SOP sets forth the
concept of operation in the campaign against professional
squatters and squatting syndicates.

• SOP #14 – JERICHO - This SOP prescribes the

operational guidelines to be undertaken by the NHQ, PNP
in the establishment of a quick reaction group that can be
detailed with the office of the SILG (OSILG), with
personnel and equipment requirements of that reaction
group supported by the PNP.
• SOP #15 – NENA (ANTI-
PROSTITUTION/VAGRANCY)
• This SOP sets forth the operational
thrusts to be undertaken by the PNP
that will spearhead the fight against
prostitution and vagrancy.
• SOP #16 – ANTI-PORNOGRAPHY - This prescribes the
guidelines to be followed by tasked PNP Units/Offices in
enforcing the ban on pornographic pictures, videos and
magazines.
• SOP #17 – GUIDELINES IN THE CONDUCT OF
ARREST, SEARCH, AND SEIZURE - This SOP
prescribes the procedures and manner of conducting an
arrest, raid, search and/or search of person, search of
any premises and the seizure of properties pursuant to
the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Rules of Court, as
amended and updated decision of the Supreme Court.
• SOP #18 – SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF
SANDIGAN MASTER PLAN

• SOP #19 – ANTI-ILLEGAL LOGGING

• SOP #20 – ANTI-ILLEGAL FISHING

• SOP #21 – ANTI-ILLEGAL DRUGS

• Oplan Jumbo – Aviation Security Group
Strategic Plan against terrorist attacks
• Oplan Salikop – CIDG Strategic Plan against
Organized Crime Groups (OCG)
• LOI PAGPAPALA is the entry point in the
conceptualization of the PNP Pastoral
Program for the next five years with a Total
Human Development Approach (THD
Approach).
• The TMG through its "OPLAN DISIPLINA" that resulted
in the apprehension of 110,975 persons, the confiscation
of 470 unlawfully attached gadgets to vehicles, and
rendering various forms of motorists assistance.
• OPLAN BANTAY DALAMPASIGAN that sets forth the
operational guidelines on the heightened security
measures and sea borne security patrols.
• NAPOLCOM MC No. 95-03 – “Institutionalization of the
Doctrine of Command Responsibility at all levels of
Command in the PNP.
• EO No. 226 - “Institutionalization of the Doctrine of
Command Responsibility in all Government offices.
 PNP Programs and Strategies
• P - REVENTION and suppression of crime through
COPS
O - RDER, maintenance, peacekeeping and
internal security
• L - AW enforcement without fear or favor
• I - MAGE, credibility and commonly support
• C - OORDINATION with other government
agencies and non-government agencies
organizations and international securities
• E - FFICIENCY and effectivenes in the
development and management of human and
material resources
 DREAMS
• D-ISPERSAL of policeman from the headquarters to the
street and enhancement of crime prevention program
• R-ESTORATION of trust and confidence of the people
on their police and gain community support
• E-LIMINATION of street and neighborhood crimes and
improvement of public safety
• A-RREST of all criminal elements common or organized
in coordination with the pillars of the CJS and other
law enforcement agencies
• M-APPING up and removal of scalawags from the pole
of ranks
• S-TRENGTHENING the management and capability of
the PNP to undertake/support the dreams operations
and activities
 POLICE 2000
• P - revention and suppression of crime through community
oriented policing system.
• O - rder, maintenance, peacekepping and internal security
• L - aw enforcement without fear and favor
• I - mage, credibility and common support
• C - oordination with other government agencies and non-
government agencies organozations and internal securities
• E - fficiency and effectiveness in the development and
management of human and material resources.