Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Professional Conduct. Group 7
Professional Conduct. Group 7
INTRODUCTION
PRIMARY GOALS
AREAS OF GROWTH
TIMELINE
SUMMARY
presentation title 2
WHAT IS POLICE-
COMMUNITY
THE POLICE-COMMUNITY
RELATION?
The police-community
RELATIONS relations
IS THE SUM TOTAL OF is
the sum OF
DEALINGS total
THEofPOLICE
dealings ofTHE
WITH the
police
PEOPLEwith the people
IT SERVES, it serves, and
AND WHOSE
whose goodwill
GOODWILL and cooperation
AND COOPERATION IT it
craves
CRAVESto TO
ensure theTHE
ENSURE greatest possible
GREATEST
efficiency
POSSIBLE in public
EFFICIENCY service.
IN PUBLIC
SERVICE.
3
EFFECTIVE POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS
PROGRAMS, PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES SPAN
THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES:
1. The entire field of public information designed to bridge any communication
gap between the police entity and the general public:
2. The public relations intended to maintain harmony and mutual support
between the police and community development; and
3. The mass communications for the purpose of conditioning both the friendly
and the hostile public, thereby insuring and facilitating the attainment the
objectives of policing activities.
FOUNDATIONS OF POLICE COMMUNITY
RELATIONS
Efficient service as the basic foundation of
good police-community relations is true in any
organization more particularly in the police
service whose client is the general public. Since
action is determined by frames of mind, the
police entity should scrutinize their own point
of view to assure that it is proper. heir attitude
will be determined by their concept of police
function, and the stand on their duty toward5
RICHARD BRANSON 15
Setting-Up Police-Community Relations
Police-community relations' is like a three-legged stool, and each leg is of equal importance in holding the stool upright.
One leg is public relations, in its traditional sense. Another leg is community service. The third leg is community
participation; and all of this is the facet of the total police-community relations' job that is being given emphasis in the
police entity's work today, and spearheading different programs, projects and activities benefitting the society at large.
Corollary, public relations is the practice of managing the flow of information between an individual or an organization and
the public. community service is an activity that is performed by police offices or the police organization for the benefit of
the public or its institutions; while community-members participation is key to building an empowered society, it is also a
critical approach in crime prevention and control.
In effect, it involves an inter-professional or teamwork approach to a wide number and variety of community-members
problems in which the police entity and other social institutions have a common stake. Stated otherwise, people learn from
one another as they develop respect for those who are in some ways different from them or otherwise. This suggests that
problem-solving can be an exciting educational experience.
It suggests the idea of the police officers as community-leaders, profoundly engaged in preventive policing that is the
blending of effective police and community relations as distinguished from tactical policing, ie, concerned only with what is
to be after a crime or major disorder. It portrays the police officers as a "professional citizen," and will gradually rid them of
what has been called the "paranoia" complex, and which is considered as dangerous inroads in policing activities.
Therefore, setting-up of good police-community relations programs in the different levels of the police hierarchy, from
national, provincial, city and municipality is a must, utilizing its concepts at its best in providing opportunity to the police
organization and to the community-members to interact. This is especially important in some community-members that may
not feel at ease to raise issues about the police hierarchy publicly.
Individual Police-Community Relations
1. Domestic Relations: This consists of the police officers' dealings with their families, parents and immediate
relatives, with whom they have good relationships in order to develop a respectable family prestige, and as well as
having a cordial police-community relations. In the common practice, domestic relations are a broad category that
encompasses relations from within immediate families.
2. Community Relations:This is made up of the police officers' dealings with the citizens of the community or
locality where a person lives, their membership or contributions to civic undertakings and their membership or
contributions to the socio-civic organization or community associations from within the e locality wherein policing
activities a same are being spearheaded.
3. Neighborhood Relations: This consists of the police officers' dealings with the members of the neighborhood who
constitute a vital link to develop good reputation in the community. This is due to the fact that the community-
members of the neighborhood are the persons in the right position to attest the personality of police officers in
public and private life.
4. Church Relations: This consists of the police officers' dealings with religio congregations of the faith to which
they belong. Religious affiliation the part of the police officers, individually or collectively is necessary for the
stability of moral and ethical principles. Active involvement religious activities also helps builds the positive image
of police officers
5. Government Relations: This is made up of the police officers' dealings with various government agencies and its
various instrumentalities. The recognition of government authority, its laws, ordinances and resolutions, as well a
other public responsibilities are considered as significant phases of a individual police officers' government's
relations.
Professional Police-Community Relations
1. Intra-Departmental Relations This is made up of the police officers' dealings with the rank and fi in their own police
organization, their superiors, the police executives, a as well as the local chief executive and august body of the locality whe
they are assigned, including the different local government agencies a its instrumentalities.
2. nter-Departmental Relations This is manifested by the police officers' rapport and linkages with other law enforcement
agencies as evident by their cooperation with other international bodies, and other law enforcement agencies of the
government. This also includes the mutual relationship that exists from the different pillars of the criminal justice system.
3. Citizens' Relations This includes all the dealings or contacts of police officers' with the citizens they serve in relation to the
enforcement of the law and the maintenance of peace and order, and ensuring of public safety and security, including the
giving of information to the public for future reference or advisory.
4. Complaint Relations This includes how the police officers deals with complaints, the techniques of interviews they uses, the
manner of approach they adopts. the treatment of victims, witnesses, as well as informant, and people of different walks of
life that can shed light in the resolution of the case under investigation.
5. Relations with Accused Persons This covers the proper treatment of suspects, the recognition of their constitutional rights
during custodial investigation and the handling of the accused during arrest and custody. Taking into consideration the rules
of law that the accused must be presumed innocent until the contrary has been proven otherwise; and that is beyond
reasonable doubt.
6. Relations with State Prosecutors or Fiscals This includes the police officers' duty to cooperate during preliminary
investigation by gathering evidence once the case is filed by the fiscal. This also includes cooperating with the fiscal in the
litigation of criminal cases by offering themselves as witnesses in presentation of eviden during trial on merits.
7. Judicial Relations This consists of the peace officers' duties toward the courts when appearing as witnesses, and the honesty
of their testimony during trial the case. This also involves the observance of the police officers' on the rules of law,
including the policies, procedures and regulations issued by the justices of the peace, relative with the disposal of the
criminal case.
good police-community relations prevent the possibility that
Importance of police-community relations the public thinks that police entity is simply a mechanism for
intelligence collection. When there are poor police-
when there are good police-community community relations, the police typically lack a basic
relations, the police organization have a better understanding of neighborhood problems, goals and desires of
understanding of the public's concerns, and the community-members, particularly those people in
citizens are more inclined to report crimes localities who are experiencing high rates of crime, poverty,
homelessness, and those who perceive the police organization
that occur, provide information to be used in
occupied, and out-of-touch entity that do more harm than
law enforcement, willingly serve as good. And as pre occupied, and out of touch entity that do
witnesses, and are happy to participate in more harm than good.
court trials. By extension, the police
organization also become more proactive, In these situations, the police organization primarily assumes
a reactive mode of response to community problems. In sum,
thereby preventing crimes before they occur police- community relations refer to the ongoing and changing
minimizing their impact, instead of simply relationship between the police entity and the community-
reacting to calls for service. members they serve. This includes issues of cooperation from
stakeholders, indigenous people's relations, fear of police,
brutalities, abuses, and graft and corruption.
Duties of Police-Community Relations
1. To evaluate public opinion and attitude with respect to the policies, methods, practices,
and procedures of the police officers in particular, and the police organization in general.
2. To advise the local police executive with regard to the public relations aspects of new or
revised organizational programs, projects, and activities.
3. To make plans and to carry out programs, projects, and activities aimed at keeping the
public informed on police administrative and operational undertakings.
4. To provide supervision on all police program, projects and activities that may influence
the public opinion on its image, including their active participation and cooperation in
crime prevention and control.
Paradox of Police-Community Relations
The police-community relations' is media personality and primarily aimed at informing the public, and which is often
concerned with the "police image." However, the police officers weakness in many parts of the country today is
perhaps the greatest obstacle to effective policing, and the improvement of trust and confidence between the police
organization and the community-members they are tasked to "serve and protect.“
The police-community relations' is a friend in need. The telephone numbers have a special place in the directory, and
many of them post it at some convenient spot, for immediate use. It is a police organization's function to whom the
people instinctively turn when all fails. It is the most versatile public service from within the police organization.
The police-community relations' is human. If it is not human being they would lack the courage to risk lives and limbs
in pursuit of the speeding criminals that makes a death trap of the roads. If it is not human, it cannot face the gunfire,
which individual police officers knows from common experience relative with the performance of mandated powers
and functions, and even the community-members may possibly encounter.
The police-community relations' is now a Constitutional lawyer in some of the most sensitive areas of the law.
Decisions on the Constitution. handed down by the Supreme Court during the recent years, require that the police
officers should not make an arrest until they have established that probable cause exists.
The police-community relations' is a person where the people demand the ultimate dignity. Like Caesar's wife, it must
not only above sin but also above the suspicion of sin. In a society in which the complimentary lunch often leads to a
favor, the police officers have to buy in their own and less they will compromise their official duties and
responsibilities, and mandated powers and functions.
The police-community
presentation title
relations' is a totality of different personalities that can play the role of foster parents,
21
big
brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and that is always available to offer their helping hands, their wisdom, and
even their precious lives and limbs for the service of God. country, environment and people.
Improving Police-Community Relations
2. Increase Mutual
Understanding
1. Improve Police Accountability -As for mutual understanding, the
public is well aware that the average
3. Build Healthier Communities
-Accountability is the first and best step. -Building healthier communities takes
police officers' day can be stressful, but
When the public feels that the police everything from a philosophic and
again, that is not excuse for being rude,
organization fails to address, or covers- obnoxious, and downright aggressive.
economic rationale to the nuts and bolts.
up completely the police officers Police officers need to be reminded that
The people in a healthy neighborhood
transgressions, it promotes the feeling are safe and secured, are well informed,
they are public servants, not judge,
that the community- members cannot feel that they are empowered to
prosecutor, and correctional
trust the police hierarchy, especially participate in police-decision making
administrator. They need to realize that
process, and have a lasting bond
when other police officers are involved. the public has rights secured by the
between them and the police
The police entity needs to be open and Constitution which trumps any other
organization. Achieving this end can be
honest with internal investigations of rules, laws, or police organization's
made in determining the breeding
practice. They need to stop treating
police complaints. They need to stop grounds of social decays through social-
these rights as if they were negotiable
attempting to intimidate individuals who or non-existent.
investigation, and by subsequently
come to them with complaints about the initiating programs, projects and
police officers in particular and the activities capable of addressing the
police organization in general. prevailing situation in the locality.
VMOS OF POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS
1. Formulates police-community relations plans, programs, projects and activities geared towards enhancing
the people and citizen's participation in support of the operational plans of the police hierarchy.
2. Exercises supervision in the planning, direction, coordination, supervision and monitoring of all programs,
projects, and activities pertaining to public information that enhances police community relations
3. Develops programs, projects, and activities designed to generate and shape good public perception towards
the government in general, and the police hierarchy in particular;
4. Conduct studies and researches to assist national policy-makers in developing laws, and programs,
projects, and activities that are community based, service-oriented and gender sensitive, and are geared
towards the maintenance of peace and order and the enhancement of public safety:
5. Forges relationship with the community-members and assists other government agencies and non-
government organizations in the conduct of mobilization activities that is contributory to the maintenance
of peace order and safety, and
6. Conducts coordination and liaisons, and appropriate policing work for foreign nationals and indigenous
people, living, in transients or doing business in the country.