CHAPTER 1

THE PROBEM

This chapter presents the background of the study, theoretical framework,

objectives, definition of terms, and the review of related literature of the study.

Background of the Study

Crime is a serious social problem that directly reduces the quality of the life of

individuals and the community (Gituanja, 2013). Besides, the police are the most

visible institution devoted to fighting crime, twenty-four hour a day and seven days a

week. In support of this idea, Clinard (2014) states, the primary function of police is

concerned with preventing crime and catching criminals. So, the primary function

of police is to prevent and detect crime. However, the police without the lively

involvement of the community face difficulty in tackling crime.

The police cannot succeed in solving or preventing crime without the

assistance of the community. Community policing is both an understanding and an

organizational strategy that allows the police and the community to work closely

together in creative ways to solve the problems of crime and social disorder in

proactive way. The idea is based on the perception that people are able to involve

and input into the policing process and exchange the information by participation and

support. Community policing aims at determining and trying to find a solution to the

problems with citizens on common crime and police matters. It also rests on the

belief that solutions to today's community problems demand involving both people

and the police to explore creative, new ways to address neighborhood concerns

beyond a narrow focus on individual crime incidents. Meetings of the police with
 The Problem 4

private and public institutes and policing with joint activities are the forms of

community policing. CP is widely assumed to be the foundation on which good

governance could be built, ensuring that investment opportunities can be

safeguarded and social stability maintained.

Community policing programs have been put into action in some countries

such as England, USA and Australia since 1970’s to enhance the accountability and

responsiveness of police departments.

In the African context, South Africa has been on the lead in pioneering the

implementation of community policing, especially due to its long exposure to bad

relations between the police and the citizens during the apartheid regime.

Community policing came as a relief to the citizens since it democratized the security

sector of South Africa and transformed the police from a brutal and harsh force to a

friendly service (Ruteere & Pommerolle, 2003).

Community policing in South Africa is firmly anchored in its legal system. The

first formal reference to community policing is found in the interim constitution Act

200 of 1993. It was introduced in the SAPS in 1994 through South Africa Police

Service Act (Ruteere and Pommeroll, 2003; Spuy and Rontsch, 2008). The Act

explained the functions of CPFs and police were required to establish community

consultations at all local police stations and at provincial level. These efforts were

often hindered by political factionalism and deep-rooted mistrust of the police as well

as lack of resources, training and experience of many police officers (Adambo, 2005;

Amnesty International, 2002). Police in some cases found the forums and

negotiations too time consuming and too soft in the context of increasing crime rates

(Ruteere and Pommeroll, 2003).

 The Problem 5

In Kenya, the concept of community policing can be traced back to 1990s

where the New York based Vera Institute of justice-initiated community policing

programs through the Kenya human rights commission and the Nairobi central

business district association. In 2001, the Vera institute partnered with UN-habitat

and other stakeholders to establish the first ever community policing units in

Nairobi’s Kibera and in Isiolo, where community policing forums were created to

popularize the concept (Lorie & Mary, 2004).

A study conducted in Nigeria Africa by Adambo (2005), to assess the

implementation of community policing program in Lagos Police Division. The

objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of institutional arrangement of

community policing program in Lagos Police Division. The study concluded that

community-policing program in Lagos Police Division was structured and mainly

funded by the government. It is also evident that most of the police officers were also

informed about community policing operations. However, the community-policing

program lacked adequate resources, as there were no specific police officers

assigned to community policing program. According to Adambo (2005), part of these

institutional reforms should address funding of community policing and training of the

police officers in community policing framework. Community policing is an expensive

crime control strategy that requires to be properly funded.

California community policing program in California State in America is one

study that show the initiative that is being implemented in a programmatic manner.

This study was conducted through an initial overview of the program, followed by a

survey of people in the area. The results of the study indicated that there was an

immediate impact of the program on different aspects such as community sense of

 The Problem 6

security, better behavior of police, greater sense of security among the populace,

and better perception of police. It also demonstrates how these different factors are

interrelated. The study demonstrates the importance of community policing,

especially in developing societies, as a way forward for better police service delivery

and reforms.

In Japan, community policing has led to good co-operation between the

members of the public and the police. Officers in mini stations called Kobans get

intimately familiar with people in their neighbourhoods and their duties include not

only on crime but also helping people with everyday problems (Lindsey and Beach,

2000). In the United States, The National Center for Community Policing

established in 1982 promoted neighbourhood foot patrols (Morash and Ford 2002).

The emphasis on foot patrols was intended to get officers out of patrol cars so that

they could be able to interact with the public. Community policing adopts a

geographic focus where emphasis is more on places rather than on times and

functions (Gordner, 1996).

According to Murphy (as cited in Skogan, 1995), Canadian approach to

community policing has been particularly conservative in nature. The community is

viewed as a resource, a support group and an information source rather than as an

authoritative body. Community policing remains police managed and seldom

involves civilians in policy or accountability issues.

However, in the local context, according to the study of Haim et al. (2017)

Community Policing in Sorsogon Province, Philippines, where a long-running anti-

government insurgency challenges state legitimacy and competes with government

law enforcement institutions for authority. They propose that one of the key
 The Problem 7

challenges for the police in the Philippines is a lack of trust which prevents citizens

from providing them with useful information about problems in the community. They

also consider the relationship between the Philippine National Police (PNP) and local

community safety officers called Tanods. They suggest that Tanods represent a

sustainable, low-cost model for community policing that could be applied elsewhere,

but that their efficacy could be enhanced through greater cooperation with the

national police.

In the report of Daily Tribune (2020), the local government of Pasig City, its

local police and the National Police Commission (Napolcom) recently signed a

memorandum of agreement to further enhance community service and oriented

policing in the city.

In their interview with Pasig Police Chief Col. Moises Villaceran, he said that

the memorandum of agreement is not only for peace and order and public safety, but

the Philippine National Police is also required to render services, like during fires,

typhoons and other calamities. He also added that if there are also other activities,

together with media, they will also assist the local government. Any form of service,

especially for the poor, as in donations, they will gladly come to help. Under the

agreement, Napolcom will evaluate the performance of the police and the local

government regarding community service and oriented-policing system.

The Pasig City local government also said that they will donate brand-new

patrol cars and firearms to the local police station to boost the capability of police

units to respond quickly to calls for law enforcement and police service.
 The Problem 8

In their report to the mayor, the local police said the crime clearance efficiency

rate in the city has improved to 92 percent from 88 percent.

Iloilo City, according to Yap (2021), has been declared by the Philippine

National Police (PNP) declared as the country’s most outstanding unit in

community relations (PCR) for the city category. Since 2020, ICPO initiated the

“We share because we care”, the “Project Palangga” and “BARANGAYnihan”

programs. These programs gave food and other necessary items to marginalized

families who have been affected by the impact of the restrictions of COVID-19.

The BPAT is composed of the PNP supervisor, the Village Chairman, Ex-O,

Village Tanod (sectoral representative and police auxiliaries) the BPAT conducts

peacekeeping activities in association with the various sectors of the community and

ensure their continuous support towards the maintenance of peace and order and

safety (Sanchez, 2017). Their goal is to have a peaceful and orderly community,

which is organized and responsive to the safety and security needs of its citizenry in

cooperation with the local police (Last, 2000). The BPAT as the prime movers of the

BPO will render services tailor-made for the community where they belong and

function. The BPAT will focus on the three general endeavors, which are: security

services focused on the proactive community-based policing system, conflict

resolution through Village Justice System and crisis management, which includes

disaster mitigation. The satisfactory rating of BPAT still needs immediate and further

improvement.

This study is expected to benefit the following groups of people:

 The Problem 9

PNP Officials. As the main decision-makers in matters concerning the general

welfare of the community they serve, the officials will glean a considerable

information on their performance as it will be reflected in the study.

Public Administrators. Other leaders and public officials will also stand to learn

important facts related to their ability to dispense administrative decisions over their

constituents.

Curriculum Planners. The study will also aid curriculum planners in the realm of

Criminology, providing them with insight as to the direction that the curricular

program is taking.

Criminology Students. The study will inspire other BS Criminology Students and

researchers who might also like to venture into similar studies in the future.

The Researchers. As aspiring law enforcers in the future, the researchers will be

enlightened as to the issues and problems in community policing and thus provide

them with ideas on how these issues can be addressed.

Theoretical Framework

This study is anchored on the theory of Social Organization Theory,

Contingency Theory, Democratic Theory, Zero Tolerance Theory and Public

Relations Theory. These theories that revolves around community policing are

grounds for this study because it would give the necessary statements for

understanding and progress of the study.

Social Disorganization Theory, according to Barbara (2014), social

disorganization theory includes focusing on social networks between the community

and external local institutions, such as the police, the argument being that social
 The Problem 10

networks are important for shaping the nature of the dynamics as well as the

strength of informal social control within communities. According to Velez (2001),

Social networks that link the community to outside conventional institutions provide

the members of the community the normative and tangible resources to regulate the

criminal activity.

In summary, this theory postulates that community policing is likely to be more

effective in affluent areas than in poor neighborhoods. The reason is that affluent

communities may have the time to engage in matters of their security as opposed to

the poor, who are mostly preoccupied with meeting their basic needs. This theory

therefore reinforces the argument that for community policing to work effectively,

especially in poor neighborhoods, the members of community policing must be

provided with incentives to compensate them for their crucial time lost in community

policing work, which could have been used looking for money to meet their basic

needs.

Contingency Theory, the term contingency theory can be traced to the works

of two scholars namely Lawrence and Lorsch, who did an empirical study to

demonstrate that different environments call for different forms of organizations

(Lawrence & Lorsch, 1967). According to them, all decisions made by organizations,

small or big, must be informed by the external factors so as to make adaptation

possible. If this is not done, then there is always some form of antagonism between

the internal and external environmental factors (Esl & Spellman, 1987).

Democratic Theory posits that community policing rests on the belief that

community policing, which is the newest development in the area of policing,

involves the empowerment of a new level of social organization to generate work for
 The Problem 11

the police, namely, groups, neighborhoods, communities, businesses, civic groups,

and so forth. The theory also maintains that the success of a democratic government

depends, in large measure, on the voluntary compliance of citizens with society’s

laws and norms of conduct. Community Policing is an explicit effort to create a more

democratic police force. It is based on the assumption that policing will be more

effective if it has the support of, and input from the community and if the community

recognizes the social service and order maintenance aspects of the police role.

Zero Tolerance Theory also explains that Zero Tolerance Policing is an

intensely debated crime control strategy in the West. Zero tolerance policing is said

to have its philosophical origins in the Broken Windows' article published by James

Q Wilson and George L Kelling in the journal, The Atlantic Monthly, in March 1982.

In short, this thesis asserts that just as an unrepaired broken window is a sign that

nobody cares and leads to more damage; minor incivilities - such as begging, public

drunkenness, vandalism and graffiti - if unchecked and uncontrolled, produce an

atmosphere in a community in which more serious crime will flourish. Over time,

individuals may feel that they can get away with minor offences, which leads them to

commit more serious offences.

As a result of its popularity and vogue status, the term zero tolerance policing

is defined in many different ways. It is therefore said to be an ambiguous term: To

some, it connotes comprehensive, aggressive law enforcement with "no holds

barred". To others, it refers to a policing strategy which exists as part of a package of

carefully designed approaches to combat the crime problems of a specific locality.

According to this theory, there is a link between minor disorderly behavior and

rise in crime. Such disorderly behavior – litter, broken windows, and graffiti – would
 The Problem 12

create a public perception that no one cares and everything goes. When such

seemingly insignificant infractions of law are tolerated, it fosters a climate of

permissiveness for major crime. If not firmly suppressed, it will frighten citizens and

encourage criminals. Zero Tolerance Policing, therefore, means that, by pursuing

minor crime vigorously, the authorities can create an environment in which crime of

more dangerous kinds cannot flourish. Importantly, the crime prevention hypothesis

contained in the zero-tolerance policing theory is that the more arrests police make

for every petty disorder, the less serious crime there will be.

In Public Relations Theory, the notion of how important is the relationship

between police and community is not new. The Public Relations theory of CP is

based on the belief that not only should there be an emphasis on the maintenance of

good ‘public relations’ as being so typical to many of the traditional police-community

relations programs, but there should also be an attempt to highlight the importance

of inter-dependence, of mutual understandings and mutual responsiveness and

support. However, while these expectations may have served as a backdrop to more

systematic theoretical conceptualizations, it was not until the development of the

idea of co-production that systematized the notion of citizens and police having a

joint interest and developing a set of activities together to produce security and

public safety. (Sardenia, 2019)

In the age of rapid development of communication technology, when

geographical distances are practically no longer felt, direct communication with

different sorts of public is still one of the basic conditions for long term successful

and efficient operation of any social subject, especially one like the police, which is

constantly under the critical public eye. (Sardenia, 2019)

 The Problem 13

Virtually every organization that provides a product or service finds it

necessary to communicate with the public about what it does. Typically, these

communications have two distinguishable but related aims. One is to inform the

public about the availability of its products and services. The other aim is to establish

and maintain a good corporate or organizational image or reputation. Both of these

communication activities, sponsored and paid for by the organization as an

organization, are referred to as public relations. (Sardenia, 2019)

The present theory holds that public relations are an inseparable part of police

work. The police keep the public informed about matters from its sphere of activity,

unless by doing so it would prejudice its own work or justify benefits of others. By the

indirect relation that takes place through the mass media, the police endeavors to

enhance the quality and extent of information it daily communicates to the

journalists, stimulating preventive activity of the mass media and coverage of topics

that are important for the citizens from the security point of view. (Sardenia, 2019)
 The Problem 14

Objectives Of the Study

The study aims to look into the partnership through community policing in the

management of crime in Bulanao, Tabuk City, Kalinga. Specifically, it sought to look

into the following objectives:

1. To determine the degree of competence of both the PNP officers and their

Barangay Counterparts.

2. To identify the level of partnership between the PNP Personnel and their

Barangay Counterparts in their level of partnership in community policing.

3. To determine the serious problems encountered by both the PNP Personnel

and Barangay Counterparts in the Community Policing Operations.

Definition of Terms

The following terms were operationalized to give a better understanding on

the study:

Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams (BPATs). Were conceived to address

concerns on peace, order and safety in the grassroots level, the barangay (BPAT

Manual, 2009).

Community Policing. This refers to the philosophy that promotes organizational

strategies, which support the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving

techniques, to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public
 The Problem 15

safety issues such as crime, social disorder, and fear of crime (Homeland Security

Digital Library, 2014).

Crime. An action or omission which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law

(Oxford English Dictionary, 2015).

Police Auxiliaries. Also called special police or special constables are usually the

part-time reserves of a regular police force. They may be armed or unarmed. They

may be unpaid volunteers or paid members of the police service with which they are

affiliated (Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias, n.d.)

Police–Community Relations. Refers to the ongoing and changing relationship

between the police and the communities they serve. This includes issues of

cooperation, race relations, fear of police, violence, and corruption (Poor Police-

Community Relations, n.d.)

Policing. The activities carried out by police officers in order to preserve law and

order (Collins Dictionary, 2021).

Public relations (PR). The practice of managing and disseminating information from

an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or

a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to affect their public perception

(Wikipedia, 2021).

Zero-tolerance policing (ZTP). A strategy that aims to reduce minor offences and

more serious crime through relentless order maintenance and aggressive law

enforcement, against even minor disorder and incivilities (College of Policing, 2021).
 The Problem 16

Review of Related Literature

This section presents literature relative to the Partnership through Community

Policing in the Management of Crime in Barangay Bulanao, Tabuk City.

Kappeler, et al., (2020), introduces the Ten Principles of Community Policing.

Community policing is a philosophy and organizational strategy that expands the

traditional police mandate of fighting crime to include forming partnerships with

citizenry and endorsing mutual support and participation. It also introduces to this

progressive approach, and include the most current developments in the field such

as how the current climate of suspicion associated with terrorism threats affects the

trust so necessary for community policing, and how the newest technologies can be

harnessed to facilitate police interactions with citizens. Additionally, it explores the

fragmentation of authority and emphasizes the importance of partnerships among

the numerous law enforcement agencies, government agencies, and private social

service agencies.

The book of Hunter and Barker (2010), emphasized the role citizen

participation and emphasizes why it is critical to the effectiveness of the criminal

justice system. It focuses on the importance of and strategies for positive police-

community interactions and addresses the internal and external communities the

police serve. It also discusses the interdisciplinary approach draws data and

discussions from a wide range of disciplines and gives well-rounded perspective to a

better understanding and practice of positive police-community relations.

 The Problem 17

In book of Herbert (2006), he discusses that politicians, citizens, and police

agencies have long embraced community policing, hoping to reduce crime and

disorder by strengthening the ties between urban residents and the officers entrusted

with their protection. That strategy seems to make sense. He reveals the reasons

why it rarely, if ever, works. Drawing on data he collected in diverse Seattle

neighborhood from interviews with residents, observation of police officers, and

attendance at community-police meetings. He also identifies the many obstacles that

make effective collaboration between city dwellers and the police so unlikely to

succeed. At the same time, he shows that residents’ pragmatic ideas about the role

of community differ dramatically from those held by social theorists.

Ellison (2010), stresses the importance of community consent for policing in

liberal democracies before sketching the nature of police community relations in

Northern Ireland during the decades of political conflict. He then considers whether

the situation has changed in the aftermath of the Independent Commission on

Policing for Northern Ireland (ICP) reforms, by examining recent survey data from

the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research

Agency. Moreover, he suggests that while official surveys are useful in highlighting

trends in police–community relations over time, a more refined conceptual

framework is required in order to take stock of such relationships in marginalized and

alienated communities. Drawing upon the ecological model of police-community

relations proposed by scholars such as Sung and Weitzer, Ellison argues that any

analysis needs to dig deeper and consider residential fragmentation, the spatial

distribution of power, specific modalities of police-community relations across and

between neighborhoods and problematic assumptions about the nature of

„community‟ itself
 The Problem 18

Many police departments offer a commitment to the community of effective

policing with an emphasis on the morale of their officers as the foremost component

in the effectiveness of this commitment. For many individuals, their only contacts

with police organizations are the patrol officers who serve on the frontline of police

activities. These patrol officers have been the focus of police management to

symbolize the image of their respected agency. Keeping these officers satisfied and

committed is essential in keeping an effective image within the community. The

primary argument is that by providing a more participatory management style in

which leadership is essential, officers feel more involved in the mission and goals of

the department. As a result, morale increases and is reflected within the community

and the ability to develop effective police community relations (Fazzini, 2003).

According to the Police Community Relations Manual (2012), it emphasizes

that partnership with the community will be a central focus. Police managers will

recognize the interconnectedness between their activities and those of other public

services, such as housing, welfare and employment agencies. The police of the

future will view themselves as one part of community-wide effort to not only deal with

crime but to improve community life in general.

Peckley and Eduardo (2010), discussed and emphasized that police

departments serve a critical and primary role in providing immediate intervention and

assistance to victims of crime. Unlike most social services agencies, police

departments are typically open every day of the year, 24-hours a day.

Manwong and Foronda (2009), in their book emphasize the relationship of the

police and the community established and maintained through police community

cooperation. The police enlist the support of the community to prevent the
 The Problem 19

commission of crime, to eradicate drugs, and to arrest suspects and criminals.

The prompt solution of crime and the immediate arrest of criminals are

achieved through strong and healthy police-community partnership. The

establishment of community based anti-crime groups in the locality through police

community partnership helps enhanced and sustained public safety undertakings.

Radalet and Carter as cited in the article “Poor Community Relations” (2010),

said that poor communication between the police and communities served as the

problem most frequently, in a variety of ways, by police and community members

surveyed. When asked what the main problems are, when it comes to police

community relations, police listed “language barriers”, “connecting with the

community” and “lack of meaningful communication on both sides” and “lack of

understanding of police practices” as obstacles to better relations. This list is similar

to the one provided by community members, who listed “lack of communications,

“language barriers” and “lack of relationships” as barriers to getting along with the

police. These findings supported the result of the study conducted by Holgado in

2009 who found that the residents of Lucena City did not encounter problems in the

implementation of the PCR programs of the Lucena City Police.

In such informal settlements, crime is also seen as a way of earning a living

and as a result, some of the people may be reluctant to fight it. Poor neighborhoods

are also very unlikely to mentor their children, especially teenagers to grow up as

responsible citizens. For community policing to be effective, there is need for the

members of the community to have strong informal social networks, which help the

community to know each other and share information among themselves.

 The Problem 20

However, if a society is highly disorganized, then finding such networks

becomes a challenge. As explained earlier, community policing tends to be weak in

poor neighborhoods since apart from being disorganized, the community members

rarely get time to engage themselves in community policing matters.

As Lorie & Mary (2004), point out, the success of community policing is

largely based on the cooperation between the police and the community. However,

in poor neighborhoods, which are mostly characterized by social disorder and crime,

the community is likely to be dissatisfied with the police services around them

(Coquilhat, 2008). As a result, it is difficult for the members of such community to

work together with the police to eliminate crime due to the perception of the

community that the police are not doing enough to protect them. This therefore

hinders the effectiveness of community policing in such settings (Kapperler &

Gaines, 2012).

On the other hand, affluent neighborhoods tend to form strong social

networks, which help them to share a lot of information. As a result, they are able to

identify things which affect them collectively and come up with measures to deal with

those issues (Justus, 2002). They are also able to afford the time to engage in

community policing matters to safeguard their security, which is of a primary concern

to them as opposed to the poor, whose main concern are their basic needs (Ramey

& Shrider, 2014). Affluent neighborhoods also tend to be well organized. For

instance, they are not congested, are clean and well lit. As a result, it becomes

difficult for criminals to hide amongst the people.

Even though the implementation of community policing need to be guided by

uniform policy guidelines, there is need to customize the policies or guidelines to

 The Problem 21

specific environments for them to work (Fielding, 2005). In Kenya, just as in many

parts of the globe, different communities are faced with different security challenges.

For example, people living in Mandera are faced with terrorism as the major security

challenge while those living in Baringo are faced with cattle rustling as the main

security challenge. Similarly, people living in Kibera and those who live in affluent

estates such as Lavington are faced with different security challenges (Thacher,

2001).

Similarly, boda-boda operators are faced with different security challenges to

those facing people in the hospitality industry such as hoteliers. That is why the

concept of community policing is based on the people’s concerns as the central

tenet. If peoples’ central concerns are put at the center of designing a community

policing intervention, then the intervention is likely to be effective than if the opposite

was the case. For instance, the failure by Kenya’s government to allocate adequate

resources for the training and facilitation of members of community policing appears

to have ignored the central concerns of the people who are the drivers of the

initiative. If their concerns are addressed, then they would be able to effectively

engage themselves in the matters of community policing. However, if their concerns

are ignored, then the reverse would be the case (Friedmann, 1991).

According to Peak & Glensor (2002), different communities also have different

levels of education and social status. As a result, there is need for community

policing interventions or programs to take this into account. For instance, while a

community composed of highly educated people may not require a lot of training on

the concept, those with low levels of education may need thorough training on the

concept for them to understand how it works and adopt it. It means that the planning

of the community policing programs needs to be done taking into consideration the
 The Problem 22

social, cultural, economic and political environments or contexts of a country. If this

is not done, then the programs are likely to be ineffective (Duman, 2007).