THE COMMUNITY PERCEPTION ON PUBLIC SAFETY IN

TAYUG MUNICIPALITY

A Research Proposal

Presented to

The Faculty of School of Criminology

Panpacific University - Tayug Campus

Tayug, Pangasinan

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

Bachelor of Science in Criminology

Prepared by:
CASAMAYOR, JOHN LOUIE C.
ESTANILLA, DIANNA JOY P.
GOMEZ, FRED WILMAR D.
JAMON, JULIUS VICTOR R.
MAGARRO, ALBERT I.

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 Chapter I

THE PROBLEM

Background of the Study

Public safety is one of the major concerns of every

individual including the police officers, government

officials, and the whole community itself. Public safety is

an integral key that makes the community peaceful and

progressive as it increases the confidence of the people to

go and find possible source of income, and to enjoy their

liberty. This is the prime reason why every law enforcers

are exerting much effort in creating programs and

implementing possible actions to keep every member of

community free from any harm and disaster.

As defined by Goodwin (2021), public safety involves

safeguarding the general public from crimes, disaster, and

other potential dangers and threats. On the other hand,

Abraham Maslow used a much broader definition of public

safety in his “Hierarchy of Human Needs" as he includes not

only physical safety but also security of health, money,

belongings, jobs, and families (Austine, 2021). As

considered by Friedman (2021), public safety refers to the

welfare of the public which is expressed as governmental

responsibility.

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 Knowledge is power and by understanding crime rates and

how it ranges differently throughout different communities,

the public safety officers specifically the police officers

can have the opportunity to customize and improve their

services. According to Abasi (2020), if an organization

lacks the understanding of the community, then they are not

able to take the necessary and appropriate steps to improve,

hence by addressing different views that concerns public

safety, the department is able to lower crime rates. The

perception of every member of the community in regards with

the public safety that they experience sometimes varies.

Moreover, the notion that community residents are

important partners and responsible for the well-being of the

larger society has become a cornerstone to approaches to

modern policing in democratic societies. Public

participation in local democracy is a two-way process and

has labels that allows local self-government to respond to

residents’ needs or demands and to improve its services.

These labels include resident participation, citizen

coproduction, community–resident involvement, and community

engagement (Myhill, 2019). Community engagement can be

defined as the process whereby residents are able to

participate in policing by being provided with information,

empowerment, and support, with the aim of identifying local

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problems as well as implementing solutions. Buren (2017)

summarized the elements that are common to most of the

definitions of resident participation and coproduction. The

strength of police–resident working relationships is

influenced by their perceived mutual support, which in turn

shapes police officers’ ability to deliver effective

policing.

Furthermore, the law enforcers such as police officers

have different point of view as they are the implementers

and the ordinary residents may have different analysis based

on their firsthand experiences regarding public safety

concerns. But regardless of the different stands regarding

public safety, the community’s perception towards public

safety is necessary to be considered as they are the main

beneficiary of every law and action that has been made.

In Nepal, the survey conducted by Dhanusia (2014) show

that the majority of communities feel safe and secure in the

presence of police, as well as when there is a sense of

discipline and unity among community people to end criminal

activities. Despite the presence of locally based

organizations that provide protection to community members,

not all groups are aware of such organizations. A

significant percentage of respondents across all categories

mentioned that the community itself controlled crime and

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maintained peace and security. Most people (81%) either did

not know whether community mediation centers existed in

their community or thought that they were not present and

larger percentages (98%) did not know of the existence of a

paralegal committee in their community.

In United States, police officers and the community had

different perception on public safety. Morin et al., (2017)

revealed that about 95% of officers say their primary role

as both protectors and enforcers was effective among the

public but this study indicates that there is a disconnect

between the public and the public agency because the public

perceives the department to be ineffective, the community

has manifested the officers to be ineffective in their day-

to-day activities.

In Canada, Jones and Rudell (2016) showed that 80.8% of

the survey respondents who are the community residents rated

their public safety as very good to excellent and 79.4% of

respondents reported being highly or very satisfied with the

overall level of service provided by the police officers.

Further, 81.2% of respondents strongly agreed that the

police department was an organization with integrity and

honesty, and 80.4% said they demonstrates professionalism in

their work.

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 In Portugal, the research of Azevedo et.al. (2022)

shows that majority of participants reported being very

satisfied with the public safety and community-interaction

implied by the police department. Most participants also

described the police as performing in the best way to

guarantee safety either frequently or always. These are

important and encouraging results if positive perceptions

regarding the police and its performance are considered to

benefit compliance and community willingness to report

crimes. These findings seem to be in line of those by

Jackson et al. (2011) showing that Portuguese police has

been attempting to adopt a community policing model,

implementing cooperative efforts in the construction of

security at physical spaces and social interaction.

On the other hand, in Nigeria, Perpetua and Onuoha

(2021) found that police alienation continued that was

started during post-colonial Nigeria was deepening the

distrust or mistrust between the people and the police. This

lack of cooperation from the people has a serious

consequence which is the inability of the Nigeria Police

Force (NPF) to combat crime and tackle various security

challenges in Nigeria leading to the proliferation of

vigilante security apparatus particularly in the form of

vigilante militia groups. Further, the same study revealed

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that most respondents said that they will not help the

police in their effort to control crime because they have

the perception that police can easily collect bribe and

release the suspect, police cannot hide the identity of

anyone who reports the case to them, suspect can come back

and attack whoever that reports the case to the police,

while some of the respondents said police are mere

pretenders and cannot do anything if a crime incident is

made known to them. The findings here are not strange since

cases of police brutality and complicity in crime abounds in

the area.

In Slovenia, Nalla (2018) revealed that residents

appeared to have respect and confidence in police and were

willing to cooperate with police officers in various crime

prevention and community-policing activities. On the other

hand, we find police officers’ perceptions of residents’

willingness to cooperate with the police ranked lower than

residents’ reflections on these matters. On many of the

dimensions of police–community partnerships, residents

appeared more willing to cooperate and support the police

compared to what officers perceived of residents’

willingness.

In Cagayan De Oro, Philippines, the study of Telen

et.al. (2022) implied that the Philippine National Police

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(PNP) community engagement projects, programs, and events

have received very positive feedback from the local

population. This expressed positive opinion of the PNP in

Region X shows that the police are carrying out their

obligations to the community they vowed to serve. In

actuality, all 12,740 survey respondents agreed that they

feel safe and comfortable in their neighborhood because the

police are performing their job. However, some of the key

informants expressed concerns over incidents of hold-ups in

Cagayan de Oro City during the survey period. This suggests

that the PNP must keep enhancing the police operations that

guarantee the safety and security of the community. Despite

these findings, the community's scores for trust and respect

have significantly increased compared to the poll from 2021.

Therefore, it is safe to claim that in less than a year, the

community's satisfaction with the PNP's engagement has

increased. The study also finds that the peace and order

situation has been completely controlled to maintain the

region's safety and security thanks to the community, local

government agencies, and the Philippine National Police

(PNP) Region X.

Furthermore, Peligrino et.al. (2018) found on their

study that in terms of police community relation, the police

officers of Agusan Del Norte, Philippines developed a good

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relationship with the community. The study revealed the

community perceived the PNP as honest and sincere in their

service, conducts themselves in a professional manner, and

stand with the values important within the community with a

weighted means of 3.58, 3.21, and 4.30 respectively.

Further, the same research showed that community perceived

PNP as visible and conducts regular patrol even night hours

to ensure public safety with the weighted means of 3.48 and

3.58 respectively

In Pangasinan, Palomares and Espinosa (2014) the

community policing towards public safety sustenance was

perceived by both PNP and residents as highly effective. The

researchers found out that the police have a wide array of

services such as locating missing persons, issuing police

clearance and anti-carnapping clearances, conducting rescue

operations in coordination with concerned agencies during

emergency and disasters, providing community policing

through patrolling peacekeeping and counseling, providing

security services on holidays and special occasions; 6)

issuing firearm licenses, executing court orders and

municipal ordinances, conduct of barangay information

network and mediation to family feud, conducting

consultations with community members, and providing security

escorts to VIPs and foreign liaisoning. The services

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implemented were based on the concerns of the community were

effective as it decreases significantly the crime rate in

the province and increase the trust to the PNP.

Additionally, Tampan et al. (2018) conducted a survey

in Nasipit, Agusan del Norte, with 382 participants and an

overall population of 8,407. They sought to evaluate how

satisfied the locals were with the PNP services. The results

showed a high degree of community satisfaction with the

PNP's efforts to prevent crime, maintain peace and order,

foster community ties, enforce the law, and ensure safety

and security. This is consistent with the research by Deri

et al. (2020), using a sample of 200 Albay Province

respondents. The respondents gave the PNP the greatest

overall net rating for respect, then for trust, and the

lowest overall net rating for safety and security.

Additionally, the PNP's programs to combat illicit gambling,

illegal drug use, terrorism, and tandem riding all received

high net ratings for commitment to support.

In connection, perceived community support has been

previously examined in relation to service orientation, job

satisfaction, and other aspects of police work. However,

little research has examined the impact of community

perception to the public safety and the extent to which

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community members consider developing working partnerships

with police officers which will be the focus of this study.

Lastly, the significance of this study is it will

served as a feedback mechanism to assess the community’s

perception with the public safety due to PNP's community

services. Its goal is to ascertain the perception of the

community on safety and security specifically the quality of

service, crime prevention, and community relations which

will be the basis of the effectiveness and satisfaction of

the services rendered by the PNP. The findings are then will

be used to design innovations and possible solutions that

will be part of the proposed measures in enhancing community

perception.

Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

Just as no single learning theory or concept has

emerged for instruction in general, the same is true in

determining the impact of community perceptions on public

safety.  A number of theories have evolved, most of which

derive from the major learning theories discussed

previously. In this section, several theories will be

examined in terms of their appropriateness.

This study is anchored on Social Bond Theory by Travis

Hirschi last 1969. As mentioned by Siegel (2017). Hirschi

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assumes that all individuals are potential law violators,

but they are kept under control because they fear that

illegal behavior will damage their relationships and

reputations with friends, parents, neighbors, teachers, and

employers. Hirschi argues that the social bond a person

maintains with society is divided into four main elements:

attachment, commitment, involvement and belief. /. It

further suggests that members of the community can draw

police attention to crime incidents in the community if they

feel that the police will respond and serve them well. The

four elements identified by Hirsch in social bond theory are

very useful in explaining and addressing the issue of

community policing in the study area.

Another theory that supports the study is the Social

Constructivism of Lev Vygotsky which focuses on the

collaborative nature of existence. Schreiber & Valle (2013)

explains that this theory believes that knowledge develops

from how people interact with each other, their culture, and

society at large. Every member of the community should learn

how to rely on other to help create their building blocks,

and learning from others helps them construct their own

solutions to real problems. In connection to the study,

community and the police officers are interrelated groups

which needs to work hand-in-hand towards a more organized

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way of living. Police should learn how to communicate with

the people and find solutions with their concerns.in return,

community should learn how to collaborate with the

authorities like police to strengthen the peace and order

within the community. Therefore, the theory is appropriate,

relevant, suitable and appropriate and so has been adopted

as the theoretical base in this study.

For conceptual framework of the study, the Input,

Process-Output (IPO) framework will be utilized. Figure 1

shows the paradigm of the study. The input encompasses the

demographic profile of the respondents in terms of age and

gender; the impact of community perception towards public

safety specifically in terms of quality of service, crime

prevention, and police community relationship; and the

significant difference between the perception of the

respondents on public safety and their demographic profile.

The process includes the determining of the demographic

profile of the respondents in terms of age and gender; the

determining of the impact of community perception towards

public safety specifically in terms of quality of service,

crime prevention, and police community relationship; and the

determining of the significant difference between the

perception of the respondents on public safety and their

demographic profile.

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 Lastly, the output is composed of the proposed measures

to enhance the community perception on public safety.

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

The activities Determining the The proposed

conducted by activities measures to
the PNP towards conducted by the enhance the
public safety PNP towards public community
in Tayug, safety in Tayug, perception on
Pangasinan. Pangasinan. public safety.

The impact of Determining the

community impact of
perception community
towards public perception towards
safety public safety
specifically in specifically in
terms of: terms of:

D. Quality of A. Quality of
Service; Service;

E. Crime B. Crime
Prevention Prevention;
; and and

F. Police C. Police
Community Community
Relationsh Relationship
 
ip
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 Figure 1: Paradigm of the Study

Statement of the Problem

 This study will aim to determine the community

perception on public safety in Tayug, Pangasinan.

Specifically, this will seek answers to the following

questions:

1. What are the activities conducted by the PNP towards

public safety in Tayug, Pangasinan?

2. What is the perception of community in terms of

satisfaction towards public safety along:

a. quality of service;

b. crime prevention; and

c. police community relationship?

3. What measures can be proposed to enhance the community

perception on public safety?

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 Chapter II

Methodology

This chapter presents the methods and procedures that

the researchers will utilize in the course of the study

which includes the population and locale of the study,

research design, data gathering tools, data gathering

procedure, and treatment of data.

Research Design 

This study will employ the descriptive method of

research to determine the impact of community perception on

public safety in Tayug. According to Verceles, et. al. as

cited by Sevilla (2017), descriptive method is designed for

the investigator to gather information about present

existing conditions. The study used such method because it

describes the nature of situation as it exists at the time

of the study will be conducted.

Furthermore, according to Febre (2012), descriptive

method of research is concerned with the collection,

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organization, and presentation of data in a form that is

understood by all. Thus, the objective of the descriptive

statistical analysis is to summarize some of the important

features of a set of data.

Population and Locale of the Study

The population of the study will be the members of the

community from the municipality of Tayug, Pangasinan which

includes the residents and the barangay officials.

Specifically, the population will be composed of 20

respondents from Barangay A, 20 respondents from Barangay B,

20 respondents from Barangay C, 20 respondents from Barangay

D, and 20 respondents from Barangay Trenchera with the total

population are 100 respondents. The barangays were chosen as

these are nearest to the commercialization and prone to

accidents. In identifying the population, strategized

purposive sampling will be used.

Data Gathering Tools

The instrument that will be used in this research study

is a survey questionnaire which is determined by the

researchers to be the most effective and economical method

that will ensure efficiency in the gathering of data from

the municipality of Tayug, Pangasinan. The questionnaire has

two parts wherein the first part of the questionnaire is

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focused on the demographic profile of the respondents in

terms of age and gender and the second part of the

questionnaire is focused on the impact of community

perception towards public safety specifically in terms of

quality of service, crime prevention, and police community

relationship which has 5 questions each element.

The data gathering tool will be designed by the

researchers and will be based on some literatures. This will

be validated by three licensed criminologists and experts in

the field namely Mr. Jasper Lagasca, Mr. Joseph Pando, and

Dr. Mylene C. Eublera.

Along the parts of a questionnaire, a total of 15 items

will be measured on four-point scale. 3.26 to 4.00 has a

descriptive equivalence of “strongly satisfied”; 3.25-3.25

has a descriptive equivalence of “satisfied”; 2.50- 1.76 has

a descriptive equivalence of “moderately satisfied”; and

1.75-1.00 has a descriptive equivalence of “not satisfied”.

Data Gathering Procedures

Upon the approval of the research instrument, the

researchers will formally write a letter to the University

President of Panpacific Univeristy-Tayug Campus through the

Dean of the School of Criminology, Dr. Mylene C.Eublera for

their consent to conduct the study. A letter addressed to

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the respondents will also be prepared to inform the

respondents about the objectives the study. After the

approval has been given, the approved questionnaire will be

administered to the respondents from Tayug, Pangasinan.

After the time given, the researchers will collect the

accomplished questionnaires and the responses will be

rechecked, tallied, tabulated, and analyzed using

statistical analysis.

Treatment of the Data

The data will be collected, tabulated, computed the

percentages, analyze and interpreted. To determine the

profile of the respondents, Frequency Percentile will be

used. To determine the impact of community perception on the

public safety, Average Weighed Mean (AWM) will be used.

Ethical Consideration

Confidentiality, Anonymity, informed consent, safekeeping.

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