Title: Assessment of Police Visibility on the Suppression of Crime in Lipa City.

Local Literature
The police role in society has increasingly become a significant issue in

contemporary policing. The police begin to encompass a greater function considering the

complexity of the social problems and enormity of issues confronting peace and security.

Public expectations and organizational concerns demand innovative approaches to

policing. Criticisms from various sectors require police organization to assess current

practices and functions and align them with the needs and values of the community.

Global experiences, likewise, assert a shift in policing philosophy and operating style -

from the traditional incident-driven to a problem-focused, community based approach.

One of the major limitations of professional policing and its crime control policies is the

failure of the police to elicit the full cooperation and participation of community residents,

community organizations, and other agencies who share mutual responsibility for crime

prevention. Today, police officials and community leaders have introduced innovative

policies, strategies, programs, and schemes to remedy this shortcoming. Community

policing or problem-oriented policing is the latest and most popular innovation in the police

field in lieu of the traditional "911" approach. Progressive police organizations have

realized that they have to accomplish more aside from responding to citizen complaints

and emergencies by engaging in planned activities to prevent and reduce crime. The

Philippine National Police, recognizing its role vis-a-vis society and the global trend in

innovative and progressive policing, has institutionalized the COMMUNITY-ORIENTED

POLICING SYSTEM (COPS) as its dominant managerial and operational style. Its

proponent, Police Director General Recaredo Arevalo Sarmiento II, put this at the
forefront of the National Strategic Action Plan (POLICE 2000) of the Philippine National

Police. Community-oriented policing stemmed from the continuing assessment of police

strategies and practices. Evaluation showed indications that some efforts on

organizational effectiveness have indeed created a gap between the police and segments

of society. COPS is envisioned as a strategy for bridging that gap while strengthening

police effectiveness in preventing and controlling crime (COMMUNITY-ORIENTED

POLICING SYSTEM, 1996).

As cited from the journal of the Philippine National Police (2019) the significance

of policing to community has been a remarkable issue and necessity to the different higher

educational institution as the CHED Chair who the “prevalence of the drug problem” in the state

university and its police force’s inability to handle crime and extremism in campus. As per se;

“We should not expect those in the academe to become policemen. They don’t have the

skills, they don’t have the training and maybe what the media should investigate is what is the

capability really of the UP Police to handle the drug problem inside the campus because there

are portions of the UP campus identified as areas where there is a prevalence of drugs,”

- De Vera

It is also noteworthy to mention that policing or increasing police visibility served

as a platform of reducing crimes to a certain country. As cited from the book entitled,

Urban Crime Prevention and Youth at Risk by the International Centre for the Prevention

of Crime (2005), the Philippines, like many other developing countries, has been heavily

affected by the consequences of increasing urbanization, including rising crime. Since the

change in political system in 1986, there have been a number of innovations to respond

to these problems, culminating in the National Crime Prevention Programme in 2004.

Among these innovations has been the introduction of the Community - Oriented Policing

System (COPS). The National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) and the Philippine

National Police (PNP) launched the concept of COPS. This aims to develop police

stations espousing the philosophy of community policing for the Philippines and develop

a three-way partnerships between the police, local government units, NGO's, and other

stakeholders in the community.

More significantly, as cited by the Sunstar Philippines (2017), the presence of our

policemen should be felt in schools, colleges, and universities. It is good to see those

attending flag ceremonies and other school activities. They should spearhead in the

conduct of dialogue or symposium on the update of peace and order, proliferation of illegal

drugs, and the role of fraternities and if needed distribute pamphlets. The same thing

should be done in churches or places of worship. They have to coordinate with religious

leaders. They have to zero in on malls, business centers and factories. They have to

maintain communication line with the head of safety and security departments. There is

a necessity to conduct patrol within the vicinity after asking permission from the company

manager. The same routine activity could be done to the banks. Policemen should check

the bank alarm system. The gadgets should not just be props only… and that includes

the CCTV and fire extinguishers. Vital installations should not be neglected rural

electrification companies, solar power farms, waterworks, and similar structures. The

people love to see our policemen conducting patrol in subdivisions and residential areas

especially during the unholy hours when thieves are expected to strike. The head of

security or the community leaders would like to welcome that. That could be an effective

way of checking the alertness of the blue guards. They should also meet the vendors’
officials and the village chairman in the area to secure the market. Near the market, there

are congested and crime-prone areas to be given extra attention. Coordination should be

made with the watchmen, civil security personnel, and village watchmen. Our tourism-

related establishments would need frequent monitoring considering the influx of both local

and foreign tourists. These would include hotels, restaurants, museums, parks, shrine,

resorts, beaches and other tourist spots. Even beer houses, coffee houses, fast food

chains, and short-time havens should be included in the police visibility schemes. They

have to be in the close watch for suspected terrorists, drug pushers, and pimps operating

in unexpected places. In serving and protecting, our policemen have many things to

consider other than day-to-day obligation. They should be in relief, recovery, search,

rescue, evacuation, and security. As expected, we have man-made crisis and

emergencies, and the natural crisis and emergencies occur anytime. As stated by Pacete;

“You have been chosen to become policemen. Your horizon of service is wider than what

you have thought of. You are not just the policemen of your president. You are the

policemen of the people”.

Foreign Literature

As stated from the article entitled Police Visibility and Public Reassurance-

Managing Public Expectation and Demand (2002), policing and police visibility were

consistently expressed as key factors in addressing the need for increased public

reassurance. Essentially, a visible police presence was thought to allow for greater police

engagement across communities with the expected outcome being a reduction in crime.

The visibility of police officers has been increasing since the inception of the

internet and the falling costs (and sizes) of video cameras, increasing sharply since the
21st century. As mentioned, now cellular phones are commonplace, and cameras capable

of recording video are now a common feature. Moreover, CCTV has increasingly

monitored streets and other public places, while the internet provides a medium for rapidly

exposing cases of police misconduct; people appear to be highly motivated to share and

spread awareness of such cases, and such videos could go ‘viral’ or experience rapid

sharing with sites such as Youtube.com (Goldsmith, 2010).

On the other hand, as cited by Bradford and Jackson (2016) on their article entitled,

Cooperating with the Police as an Act of Social Control: Trust and Neighborhood

Concerns as Predictors of Public Assistance, Public cooperation is central to effective

and equitable day-to-day police work, with the vast majority of criminal offences becoming

known to the police through being identified first by a member of the public. Cooperation

from citizens is then required throughout the criminal justice process. An absence of

cooperation impairs the efficiency of the police and other criminal justice agencies, and

erodes the fairness of their operations (Goudriaan, Wittebrood and Nieuwbeerta, 2006).

Relatively, Community Policing Consortium (2000) defined Community policing as

in essence, a collaboration between the police and the community that identifies and

solves community problems. With the police no longer the sole guardians of law and

order, all members of the community become active allies in the effort to enhance the

safety and quality of neighborhoods. Community policing has far-reaching implications.

The expanded outlook on crime control and prevention, the new emphasis on making

community members active participants in the process of problem solving, and the patrol

officers’ pivotal role in community policing require profound changes within the police

organization. The neighborhood patrol officer, backed by the police organization, helps
community members mobilize support and resources to solve problems and enhance

their quality of life. Community members voice their concerns, contribute advice, and take

action to address these concerns. Creating a constructive partnership will require the

energy, creativity, understanding, and patience of all involved.

Local Studies

The Police is the most visible representative of the government. As uniformed

member of the premiere law enforcement agency of the country, day to day decorum is

demanded. As such, a knowledge of basic policing concepts is necessary to guide all his

actions.

The PNP indicates that the decrease in the volume of crime is attributable to the

PNP's crime prevention programs (SunStar 20 Sept. 2007). Specifically, the PNP has

reportedly increased police visibility, made use of foot patrol officers, established

checkpoints, deployed motorcycle police, and undertaken night watch operations, among

other initiatives (SunStar 20 Sept. 2007). Moreover, the PNP states in a press release

that they posted a "crime solution efficiency" of 88.37 percent (Philippines 6 Feb. 2008).

Corroborating information pertaining to this crime solution rate could not be found among

the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This is being supported by the study entitled Effectiveness of Patrol Methods in

Crime Prevention at San Clemente, Tarlac (Taccad et al., 2016), which aims to measure

the effectiveness of the different patrol methods in terms of three major parameters

namely (a.) Foot Patrol, (b.) Motorcycle Patrol and (c.) Automobile Patrol. The study found

out that patrol methods on the locale of the study is very much effective as perceived by
the respondents who undergone the research purposive sampling method in preventing

crimes thus it provides Security and Protection to Community.

Additionally, the study of Laru-an & Beup (2014), aimed to determine the level of

effectiveness of community policing in the field of patrol operations, traffic investigations,

and criminal investigations of police officers in the 5th District of Iloilo for the year 2014.

The data gathering instrument was adopted from Basic Procedures of the PNP Manual

(2010). The respondents of the study were the one hundred seventy seven local

government units in the municipalities of the 5th District of the province. The findings

revealed that the level of effectiveness of community policing in patrol operations was

generally effective and when grouped as sex and old respondents. The young

respondents on the other hand rated very effective. The level of effectiveness of

community policing in traffic investigation was effective when grouped as to various

categories. Finally the level of community policing in criminal investigation was effective

when classified as to old, and male respondents, and the young and female respondents

as very effective.

It is noteworthy to mention that Community Safekeeping has been defined as the

objective to safeguard the vital core of human lives and properties from critical ubiquitous

threats, in a way that is consistent with long term fulfillment. With this notion, the Philippine

National Police as the frontline of criminal justice system in enforcement of law were

accustomed on protection of life and property of the public. Patalinghug (2017) research

a study entitled Implemented Crime Prevention Strategies of PNP in Salug Valley,

Zamboanga Del Sur, Philippines, which aimed primarily to determine the effectiveness of

crime prevention strategies implemented by the Salug Valley Philippine National Police
(PNP) in terms of Police Integrated Patrol System, Barangay Peacekeeping Operation,

Anti-Criminality Operation, Integrated Area Community Public Safety services, Bantay

Turista and School Safety Project as evaluated by 120 inhabitants and 138 PNP officers

from four Municipalities of Salug Valley Zamboanga del Sur. Stratified random sampling

was utilized in determining the respondents. Index crime rate were correlated with the

crime prevention strategies of the PNP in town of Salug Valley. A descriptive method of

research was applied in this study utilizing self-made questionnaire. The data collected

were analyzed using the main statistical tools like frequency count, percentage, mean

computation, Kruskal Wallis Analysis of Variance and simple correlation. Findings of the

study revealed that the crime prevention strategies in four (4) municipalities were “much

effective” to include Integrated Patrol System, Barangay Peace Keeping Operations,

AntiCriminality Operations, Integrated Area Community Public Safety Services, Bantay

Turista and School Safety Project in connection to the responses of 158 participants.

There is a significant relationship between crime prevention strategies employed and

index crime rate.

Significantly, from its traditional policing function of law enforcement to a more

substantial role of being law enforcer and community leader. The police should go beyond

the scope of their traditional duties and become increasingly conscious of the role they

can play in the solution of the major problems of society, with particular reference to those

raised by the potential threat brought about by the escalation of crime. By these, police

visibility and other Policing Activities will be of great effectiveness in maintaining the

PNP’s mandate of ordering peace and order in the community.

Foreign Studies
 A wise man once said; the fundamental task of the police in all societies is to

provide safety, which is also one of the fundamental human needs.

This was being brought into reality by the study entitled Police Effectiveness as the

Influencing Factor of the Community Policing Strategy on Citizens’ Sense of Safety in

Croatia (Borovec et al., 2014) which main goal is to determine the connection between

the individual components of the Community Policing Strategy in Croatia with the sense

of safety; the perception of fear of crime, perception of crime risk and frequency, as well

as the perception of incivilities in Croatia. The research encompassed a total of 1,096

respondents over 18 years of age. The field research combined two quantitative methods:

telephone interviews and face-to-face interviews in households. The results indicate that

there is a complex relationship between community policing and citizens’ affective and

cognitive perceptions of safety. While certain extracted components positively influence

the perception of safety, others are not significantly related or are related contrary to

expectations. The result of the quasicanonical correlation analysis speaks in favor of

opinions on the police and perception of police effectiveness in preventing and detecting

crime as factors of community policing having the greatest effect on the sense of safety.

On the other hand, the perception of incivility is the main characteristic of the perception

of safety that influences the perception of the police. To put it differently, all efforts of

community policing that lead to strengthening citizens’ confidence in the police and to

building positive opinions, and that increase police visibility are key to achieving success

in terms of increased perception of safety.

Relatively, Police patrol, motorized and foot, has a long history of being used as a

crime prevention method. Scientific evaluations of this crime prevention technique have
been undertaken for at least 40 years, with mixed results. One of the important questions

to be answered regarding the implementation of a police patrol is the presence of crime

displacement: criminal activity simply moving around the corner, away from the primary

patrol area. Previous investigations of this phenomenon have found that, most often,

crime displacement is nonexistent or less than crime reductions in the primary area of

interest. In this article, we investigate local crime displacement. We use a spatial point

pattern test that can identify changes in the spatial patterns/distribution of crime even if

crime in all areas has decreased. We find moderate evidence for the presence of this

spatial shift and discuss the implications (Andresen & Malleson, 2014).

Additionally, the study of Audu (2016) aims to assess the impact of community

policing as overseen by the UK Department for International Development in Nigeria. This

is informed by the increasing rate of crime such as armed robbery, kidnapping,

insurgency, corruption and other forms of violence/terrorism in the country. There are

perceptions about ‘police/public divide’ in which the members of public are not willing to

cooperate with the police in terms of giving useful information that may assist in the

prevention and control of crime in Nigeria. This situation has posed a serious threat to the

Nigeria police’s ability to strategically position itself in order to perform a range of

constitutional roles: protection of live and property as well as maintenance of law and

order. Consequently, the UK Department for International Development in conjunction

with the Nigerian government introduced community policing policy in 2002/3 to facilitate

partnership between the police and community in order to provide safety conditions in the

country. However, the prevailing reality suggests that the strategy, after a decade of its

policy implementation in Nigeria, was not yielding the desired result because of what
seems to be a lack of trust in the police by members of public. The study aims to establish

whether or not there is trust gap between the police and members of the public. The

available literatures do not adequately address this concern; hence the focus of this

research is to examine the pattern of relationships between the police and community as

co-producers of security of lives and property in Nigeria. The research adopts an

interpretative framework to access the meaning attached to community policing from the

perspectives of the stakeholders themselves. The empirical part of the study is qualitative

in approach and engages the police and community in focus group discussions and

individual in depth interviews in Kogi State of north central Nigeria. The data obtained

from field work have been analyzed and the key findings in the context of these empirical

data have indicated 16 that the desired positive impact of the implementation of

community policing policy has not been fulfilled. This is as a result of the relationships

gap between the police and community in Nigeria occasioned by the mistrust in the police

by the members of public. This gap has a very dangerous implication on the country’s

desire to achieve a sense of community safety and security in Nigeria. The risk factors in

this regard are that the prevailing family norms, values and the influence of community

networks do not allow the community to report cases to the police. Perceptions of

corruption by the police and community have negatively affected behaviors and the sense

of trust needed to foster relationships among the stakeholders.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to assess the police visibility on the suppression of crimes in Lipa City.

Specifically this will find answers on the following;

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 Sex

1.2 Age

1.3 Educational Attainment

2. What is the assessment of the Police Visibility in the suppression of crime as

perceived by the respondents classified as to age and sex in terms of:

2.1 Foot Patrol

2.2 Motorcycle Patrol

2.3 Automobile Patrol

2.4 Checkpoints

2.5 Night Watch Operations

3. What is the level of effectiveness of police visibility in the suppression of crime as

perceived by the respondents in terms of:

3.1 Providing security and protection to community

3.2 Working relationship with the community?

4. Are there significant differences in the level of effectiveness of police visibility in

suppression of crime as perceived by the respondents as classified to their profile?

5. What is the implication of the study towards the current policing system?