CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

The police are asked to control crime, maintain order, and provide

an intricate array of services, from responding to emergency calls to

regulating the flow of traffic. On occasion, they must perform remarkable

feats of criminal investigation, quell rowdy crowds and violent offenders,

and put their lives on the line. Much of the time, police resources are

limited. It is estimated that the workload crime imposes on the police has

increased fivefold since 1960. Their resources have not kept pace with

their workload.

To do their job, police frequently have looked to technology for

enhancing their effectiveness. The advent of fingerprinting in the 1900s

and of crime laboratories in the 1920s greatly augmented the police

capacity to solve crimes. The introduction of the two-way radio and the

widespread use of the automobile in the 1930s multiplied police

productivity in responding to incidents.

But, as noted , progress in technology for the police has often been

slow and uneven. A quotation from the President's Crime Commission in

1967 illustrates how the police at times have lagged behind other sectors

in reaping the benefits of technology:

--The police, with crime laboratories and radio networks, made early use

of technology, but most police departments could have been equipped 30

or 40 years ago as well as they are today.

This study is aim to evaluate the progress of Local PNP units in

Pangasinan in terms of Information Technology particularly their

familiarization of computer use and application in crime prevention.

Statement of the Problem

The use of high-technology equipment and applications is essential

to the efficient practice of community policing. Without high technology,

officers would find it difficult to provide the level and quality of services

the community deserves. Computer-aided dispatching, computers in

patrol cars, automated fingerprinting systems, and online offense-

reporting systems are but a few examples of the pervasiveness of

technology in agencies that practice policing. But, as noted, progress in

technology for the police has often been slow and uneven.

With these facts this research is intended to make an evaluation

on the level of police knowledge and awareness in computer operation on

the specified cities and municipalities of Pangasinan. Specifically, it aims

to determine the following:

1. What is the degree of computer literacy among the members of the

PNP at the specified cities and municipalities of Pangasinan

 2. To what level of expertise do members of the PNP at selected cities

of Pangasinan depict on the various aspects of computer

application.

3. To what extent do the PNP members of selected areas apply these

various computer applications in the performance of their function

4. What proposals can be formulated to further enhance the level of

computer literacy and application of PNP

Significance of the Study

With the continuous and overwhelming progress on information

technology this study aspires to understand the present situation of

computer awareness on various PNP units and its relevance to their

progress in crime prevention. Primarily this study will abet the following;:

To the respondents, this study will be able to guide them as well as

to serve as an evaluation for their progress in the knowledge of

Information Technology. This will also benefit them in the sense that they

will be introduced to different technologies that will further help them in

the performance of their duties.

To the PNP Administration, seeks their understanding to able to

release their observance on the needs of their local units in terms of

technology and likely to be able to help this Local Units to further

improve on such field.

 To the community, this study seeks to inform them regarding the

performance of the PNP’s Local unit in Information Technology

particularly in computer application.

Scope and Delimitation

This study to be conducted shall concern only the following areas.

Given the fact that the topic on Information Technology as a factor for

the progress of PNP is a broad array, this study shall be concentrated

only on the police knowledge and awareness on computer operation as

well as to their application in crime prevention. Respondents for this

particular study will two cities; Dagupan and San Carlos City and two

Class A Municipalities; Lingayen and Binmaley of the province of

Pangasinan