PUBLIC INFORMATION

One of the main components of Police Community Relations is Public Information (PI). Public
information covers information that pertains to documents, memoranda and informative
materials for public consumption. It can also be in the form of multi-media: print, TV, radio, web
(internet). Further, it is related to any activity in all fields of work of the organization.

PNP's Public Information efforts provide the internal and external audience with accurate
information about agency's programs and projects and in some instances, clarify issues relevant
to the PNP. It also addresses the need for information to the community and the police.

Every law enforcement officer must, therefore, be equipped with knowledge and information to
effectively respond to the challenges of the fast and growing information and communication
technology.
Effective communication is, therefore, a skill necessary for every PNP personnel to attain the
organization's overall vision.

Sources of Public Information

1. Face-to-face interaction. This involves the conduct of the following, lectures, seminars,
symposium, "pulong-pulong" and others.
2. Multi-media. The various media available to the police must be utilized to disseminate
information both to the public and the police themselves. This includes print, broadcast, and
internet.

Multi-Media Relations
The PNP Media Relations activity is consistent with the policy of rational transparency in all police
activities, and of upholding the rights of the people to be informed on matters of public interest.
It seeks to establish specific guidelines on how every member of the Philippine National Police
(PNP) should deal with members of the media, especially in releasing public information.

This also aims to re-orient and further motivate every PNP personnel to be mindful of the
importance of a good working relationship with the media as a vital component of the
organization's over-all Police-Community Relations Program, but with full awareness of the limits
of disclosure of information.

RELEASING INFORMATION TO THE MEDIA

Intelligence Information. While it is the policy of the PNP to cooperate fully with the media, it
may keep from the press those regarded as active or classified such as criminal information of
intelligence value.
Non-Investigative Information. Information of a general nature The PNP allows the release of
which is not specific to an on-going investigation.
Investigative Information. Information that may be released connection with an investigation of
an event or crime includes:
1. The type or nature of an event or crime;
2. The location, date and time, injuries sustained, damages and the general description of how
the incident occurred;
3. Type and quantity of property taken;
4. The identity and approximate address of a victim except for sex crime victims, and in other
cases where reprisals or intimidation may be employed.
5. Requests for aid in locating evidence, a complainant or a suspect;
6. Numbers of officers or people involved in an event or investigation, and the length of the
investigation; and,
7. Name of the Investigator-on-Case, his supervisor and division or unit assignment (exception:
the name of any undercover officer will be released).

On the other hand, Information that may not be released in connection with an investigation of
an event or crime, unless authorized include:
1. The identity of a suspect before arrest unless such information would aid in apprehending the
suspect or serve to warn the public of potential danger;
2. The identity of the victim of a sex crime or any related information which, if divulged, could
lead to the victim's identity;
3. The identity of victims or witnesses if such disclosure would prejudice an investigation to any
significant degree, or if it would place the victim in personal danger;
4. The identity of any juvenile who is a suspect or defendant in a case subject to the jurisdiction
of the juvenile court;
5. The identity of any critically injured or deceased person before notification of next of kin;
6. The results of any investigative procedure such as lineups, polygraph tests, fingerprint
comparison, ballistic test or other procedures;
7. The information which, if prematurely released, may interfere with the investigation or
apprehension such as the nature of leads, specifics of a Modus Operandi, details of the crime
known only to the perpetrator and the police, or information that may cause the suspect to flee
or more effectively avoid apprehension;
8. Information that may be of evidentiary value in criminal proceedings;
9. The specific cause of death unless officially determined by the medical examiner; and,
10. Any information leading to a home address and telephone number.

DEALING WITH BAD NEWS

Principles in dealing with bad news for senior officials
1. Accept without rancor (or false hope of changing) the adversarial relationship which exists
between the press and law enforcement agencies.
2. Institutionalize that acceptance by not permitting overreaction to bad news.
3. Protect the credibility of the PIO or unit's /department's spokesperson (and through them the
organization) by alerting them to the bad news before it appears in the press.
4. Allow the PIO/spokesperson the latitude to limit the badness of the news.
5. Specifically: Authorize the PIO to reveal the bad news, along with the good.
б. Adopt a defensive attitude by responding to queries only, or, worse yet, simply ignoring a
problem and hoping it will go away is a leadership failure. It usually doesn't go away.
7. Bad news doesn't smell better the older it gets.