The Measures Adopted By the Government to Ensure Public Safety & Security

Abstract Through the years, the intensity of the crimes committed gets greater, although the crime rate has been significantly declining. ensure Hence, this calls and for better This set of measures examines to the

public

safety

security.

study

measures adopted by the government to obtain public safety in this modern-day period. The paper gives a brief description of the most encountered and visible measures in the Philippines as well as the difficulties encountered while implementing these measures throughout the country. While these measures were the answered requests from the citizens, the effectiveness of these measures is not limited to it alone. Hence, the citizens

cooperation and discipline is required to be able to obtain the measures fullest potential and effect.

The Measures Adopted By the Government to Ensure Public Safety & Security

Introduction Crime is considered as one of the major global

problems. It is a problem which demands highly-strategic & systematic measures. Every day, various criminal acts are happening in every part of the world, wherein non-public places are no exception for a venue. Malls, different

public transportation, and even schools are mainly targeted for this kind of activity. These incidents are more

prevalent in the urban areas, specifically in one of the countrys major metropolis. The countermeasures for these criminal acts, such as pick-pocketing and murder are the laws and measures governing public safety and security.

Philippines, despite having weak economy, [reports] have shown that there was a significant decline in crime rate over the last two years. According to the Philippine

National Police (PNP) Director Cacdac, Jr., there was a sharp decrease of 183,224 incidents or roughly 36 percent in the year 2009 while in 2010, there were only 202,328 reported cases, down by roughly 32 percent (The Philippine Star, 2011). Such figures may signify the effectiveness of the measures that the government adopted to ensure public safety and security. However, the figures are still

The Measures Adopted By the Government to Ensure Public Safety & Security

alarming enough to put the public safety at risk. Are the current measures that the government has really effective? Does this call for more laws to be made and implemented?

The researchers strongly believe that the present laws and measures implemented were thought thoroughly. However, it lacks one huge factor for these to be fully effectivediscipline from the people. The researchers hereby having the stand that the measures adopted by the government would require the full cooperation and discipline of the people, so these measures will take its full effect.

Having such as a background, this study aims to assess the present measures that the government adopted to ensure

public safety and security; the factors that will govern its thorough effectiveness, especially discipline, and; to recommend additional measures that may help put public

safety away from risk.

The Measures Adopted By the Government to Ensure Public Safety & Security

According to our sources, public safety involves the prevention and protection from events that could endanger the safety of the general public from significant danger, injury/harm, or safety to disasters, such as natural phenomenon and crimes. This aspect is inevitably one of the weakest points of the country since it is susceptible to receive different threats, both nationally and internationally. Threats and crimes do not only hinder the local peoples freedom but it also hinders the economical growth as it fears the foreign investors to take part of their business in the country.

To be able to obtain an effective public safety, it is a must to consider these three factors individual factors, public actions, environmental actions (Calvert-Henderson.com, 2009). Given such definition, does the Philippine government really possess or guarantee a good public safety for its people?

The real deal. Philippines is a Southeast Asian archipelagic country composing of more than 7,100 islands, with a total land area of approximately 300,000 square kilometers. Given this information, it indicates a difficulty of effective implementation of the measures adopted by the government to ensure public safety and security. Unlike countries such as United States and Australia, its geographical characteristics

The Measures Adopted By the Government to Ensure Public Safety & Security

make it easier to implement regulations and give a strategic access for the government to its people. That is why most of the work is left with the hands of the smaller sectors or the local government.

Along with the dilemma of unfavorable geographic characteristics, the country was also tagged as the Kidnapping Capital of Asia (CNN, 2001) throughout the years, putting the public safety at a major risk. The most recent (inter)nationally-known incident in the country is the Hong Kong kidnapping incident in 2010. It was known for the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT)s military lapses, making the public further doubt on its capability to serve the elite tactical units purpose.

The methodology. To make up and rebuild with such unpleasing reputation, the Senate has written various bills pertaining to different methods to an effective public safety and security. The local officials have implemented some of it up to the present time. Although there were still reported lapses on these measures, these somehow manifested an improvement in making the public free from danger.

The Measures Adopted By the Government to Ensure Public Safety & Security

Hence, these are the measures adopted by the government to ensure public safety and security:

1) Communications and Public Safety Act of 2007. The Act was written and introduced by Senator Miriam DefensorSantiago, stating the encouragement of the usage of universal emergency assistance number, 117, so that the publics demands would be addressed by the designated government departments with an easy-to-remember hotline. The hotline is referred to its official name, Emergency Network Philippines. It is the United States counterpart of its emergency hotline, 911.

This privilege then was primarily made available in Metro Manila by the Philippine National Police (PNP), but several improvements were made eventually. The expansion consists of opening a total of sixteen (16) call centers nationwide (which includes Region I: Laoag City, Region II: Tuguegarao City, Region III: San Fernando City, Pampanga, Region IV-A: Batangas City, Region IV-B: Puerto Princesa City, Region V: Legazpi City, Region VI: Iloilo City, Region VII: Cebu City, Region VIII: Tacloban City, Region IX: Zamboanga City, Region X: Malaybalay City, Region XI: Davao City, Region XII: Koronadal City, Region

The Measures Adopted By the Government to Ensure Public Safety & Security

XIII: Butuan City, CAR: Baguio City), receiving millions of calls ever since it was made available for everyone. Only the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has no independent 117 call center; therefore calls coming from the region will be connected to its nearest call center.

Soon after, the Text 117 feature was also made available for the public to take advantage of such service. These text messages would be directly sent to the designated 117 call centers, depending upon the text senders location.

2) Patrol 117. Patrol stands for Peoples Action Team Responding Online. It is a joint collaboration of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to promote peace and order and public safety. The program includes involvement in both government and non-government organizations, mainly focuses on the small unit of government- barangay. Patrol 117 will be composed of tanods that would address all barangay-level incidents. In this manner, it aids in lessening the tasks or incidents that the police force has to address and it will allow them to allocate their resources elsewhere. To strengthen this program, a team called Atomm was formed. Atomm stands for Advocating,

The Measures Adopted By the Government to Ensure Public Safety & Security

Training, Organizing, Mobilizing, and Monitoringbasically the duties that the barangays should do to be able to fully-develop mobilization. These formed Atomm teams will be trained and organized; after which, these teams will advocate the Patrol program, organize its structure, train stakeholders, mobilize volunteers and monitor the organized structures (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2001). To date, there are three hundred sixtyseven (367) barangay patrols organized in the National Capital Region.

3) Firearms Disposition Regularization Act of 2007. Also known as the Senate Bill no. 1684 of the 14th Congress. It is an Act of regulating the sale, delivery or disposition of any kind of firearm, ammunition, or explosives to certain types of persons and providing stiffer penalties for the violation thereof. By limiting the distribution of the licensed firearm sellers to the persons prohibited by the bill, it aims to decrease the number of incidents that were committed with the use of various types of firearms since it is believed they are less likely to commit crimes.

The Measures Adopted By the Government to Ensure Public Safety & Security

4) Inspection and Security Measures Act of 2007. It is the Act of mandatory security inspection of the luggage and other personal belongings upon entering the premises open to the public, such as malls, transportation terminals, and other recreational venues all throughout the country, as well as the use of security inspection equipment. Under the implementation of the Act, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Department of National Defense (DND) are the government sectors held responsible for it. The bill aims to promote increased awareness to the public by manifesting such measures.

5) Crime tip rewards. This strategy involves monetary incentives or rewards to whoever could give vital information that would help solve crimes. With a usually large sum of monetary rewards placed on top of the suspects heads, it encourages the public to tell what they know about the culprits such as their whereabouts.

6) Using media as an ally. It is evident that media plays a vital role in a persons daily life. It is very powerful that it could dictate its viewers up to that certain extent. Therefore, by means of the government to use media to inform and persuade the public to abide by the safety guidelines that should and should not be done.

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Publics wants and needs. The measures aforementioned were not solely done by the government alone. The need for vast improvement from the public was the driving force of the lawmakers and security officials to serve the Filipino citizens and tourists better.

Listed below are the wants and needs of the public that led to implement the different measures adopted by the government to ensure public safety and security:

1) More police visibility in the neighborhood; may it be on foot, on bike or in patrol cars. 2) The want to see more rapid deployment of policemen. 3) The need to see more trained policemen to do their jobs such as managing traffic during rush hours. 4) Real responses coming from the policemen, especially during the times of calamity and emergency. 5) Professional-looking officials; dressed in proper uniform and in overall neat appearance. 6) To report the achievements done by the government sectors so far, especially than that of the PNPs. However, based on a security officers perspective, the present measures which were implemented will not take its full

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effect without the cooperation coupled with discipline coming from the public itself. The officials also expect a give-andtake relationship among the people- help coming from them as well.

On improvements. The researchers believe that the measures alone are useful and effective. However, its thorough effectiveness cannot be guaranteed if the public will not participate well in public safety. As for the side of the lawmakers and security officials, here are the suggestions of the researchers to strengthen the adopted measures: Reengineer the criminal judicial process Strengthen the police-community relations Enhance police visibility Intensified police operations The citizens and the government must work hand in hand

The researchers therefore conclude that the measures adopted by the government would require the full cooperation and discipline of the people, so these measures will take its full effect.

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References Getting serious with public safety and crime prevention. (2001, 09 08). Philippine Daily Inquirer. p.27 (2002). Tulong-Sulong Peace and Order Project. Husay balangay, VII, pp.15-19 (2002). Alarma Tagungtong. Husay balangay, VII, pp.24-25 (2001). National public safety condition. Philippine National Police Journal, XI (3). pp. 8-9 (2001). The last eleven years. Philippine National Police Journal, XI (6). pp. 4-5 Strategy: Use Media As An Ally. In National Crime Prevention Council. Retrieve date: November 2011, from http://www.ncpc.org/topics/home-and-neighborhoodsafety/strategies/strategy-use-media-as-an-ally Strategy: Crime Tip Rewards. In National Crime Prevention Council. Retrieve date: November 2011, from http://www.ncpc.org/topics/home-and-neighborhoodsafety/strategies/ strategy-crime-tip-rewards Santiago, Miriam Defensor (n.d.). Communications and Public Safety Act of 2007. In Senate of the Philippines. Retrieve date: November 2011, from

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http://www.senate.gov.ph/lis/bill_res.aspx?congress=14&q=SBN1847 Santiago, Miriam Defensor (n.d.). Firearms Code. In Senate of the Philippines. Retrieve date: November 2011, from http://www.senate.gov.ph/lis/bill_res.aspx?congress=14&q=SBN3584