MODULE 10
At the end of the lesson, the learners should be able to;
1. Know and comprehend the doctrine of reciprocal responsibility, principles of community relations, and
the four general approaches in the police community relations programs.
THE DOCTRINE OF RECIPROCAL RESPONSIBILITY
The people on their own cannot effectively prevent and control crime. They need the indispensable
participation and support of the citizen in their anti-crime campaign. It is true that "Crime is everybody's
business”. However, some citizens are not aware of this responsibility.
The community must help in eradicating the causes of criminality such as:
1. Poverty
2. Ignorance
3. Injustice/abuses
4. Soft state/indiscipline
5. Fear
6. Lost Family Values
7. Violence
8. Urban migration
9. Overpopulation
10. Unemployment
The Doctrine of Reciprocal Responsibility requires that the police and public work together towards the
attainment of a healthy and peaceful environment.
This model focuses on three elements:
1. Prevent (Opportunity)
2. Restrain (Capability)
3. Dissuade (Intent)
Prevention to eliminate the opportunity to commit crime:
1. Crime Detection
2. Crime Prevention
3. Emergency Service
4. Order Maintenance
In dissuading or discouraging intent, investigation efforts must be effective to gain information through:
1. Interviews
2. Interrogation
Restrain activities aim to neutralize the perpetrators of crime or reduced their propensity to commit zero crime:
1. Manhunts
2. Arrests
3. Searches
4. Raids
5. Case Build Ups
6. Prosecution
7. Accounting of Firearms
The public shares in functions of:
1. Preventive Policing (I refuse to become a victim)
2. Persuasive Policing (I refuse to be a criminal)
3. Self-Policing (I refuse to be violent)
In refusing to be a criminal, the public:
1. Maintains good citizenship
2. Builds a strong family tie
3. Strives for good quality of life
4. Exemplifies moral uprightness
Refusing to be violent, the public:
1. Volunteers as witnesses and partners in filing cases
2. Refuses commissions of abuse and other public disturbance
3. Must follow rules
PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Every member of the PNP shall adhere to the following principles of police-community relations:
1. Community Support Must be Maintained
a. Every police shall be worthy of the public high trust by doing his job and leaving nothing undone
through carelessness
b. He shall make himself available and be willing to serve everyone.
2. Community Resentment: Must be Avoided:
a. Every policeman shall have in mind the interest of the public.
b. He shall develop friendly relations by his good conduct.
c. shall avoid any occasion to humiliate, embarrass, annoy, or inconvenience anyone.
3. Community Goodwill Must be Developed
Police should be courteous, fair, and quick to assist individuals in the solution of their problems.
4. Community Must be Kept Informed
The people should inform the community of the regulations and policies of the police force and the
reasons for their adoption
FOUNDATION OF COMMUNITY RELATIONS
The foundation of good community relations is “efficient service”. No amount of publicity can cover up
the inefficiency or poor public service of the police. The requirements for good community relations are:
1. Sincerity in serving the public.
2. Full knowledge of the job.
3. Deep conviction in the mobility of his work as a necessary service to promote individual or national
welfare
4. High standard of management and operation.
How to Regain and Maintain the Trust and Confidence
1. The police should be people-oriented to recognize the divergence of people and yet be capable of
working together with them for a common good. Being good is not enough, you must show it by the way
you perform your job and by the state of the discipline of every officer and man in the police station or
similar unit.
2. The common must increase the personnel assigned to the patrol division in line with the police visibility
program and make them available to provide police assistance at any time.
3. Requesting the community to assist in identifying the scalawags in uniform as a basis for giving
immediate disciplinary action against them.
4. The policeman should closely coordinate with the business community to identify areas where police
presence is needed.
5. Conduct an in-depth study and initiate the immediate assignment of police to every barangay to serve
the police needs and to call upon residents and oversee their well-being.
FOUR (4) GENERAL APPROACHES IN THE POLICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS PROGRAM
1. Externally Oriented
2. Youth Oriented
3. Service Oriented
4. Internally Oriented
Externally Oriented are programs generally developed by specialized police-community relations and are
directed towards the general public or various enclaves within the society
The essential characteristic of an externally-oriented unit is its willingness to try various approaches to
accomplish its goal The structure of an externally oriented unit is flexible and accommodates changes and
experimentation in devising programs designed to achieve its goal. The programs are operated externally by the
police organization.
Youth Oriented are programs that are developed by the community relations unit of the police department. The
majority of police efforts are directed toward the youth of the community.
Service Oriented basic objective of these programs is focused on the alleviation of social problems. The defining
characteristic of the departments’ community relations objective becomes the orientation of their specialized
program.
This type is called service-oriented, which appropriately describes the real mission of a police system.
The essential characteristic of a service-oriented program is its concern and involvement of said unit in the
socio-economic problems of society. It acts as a discovery and referral agency for ridding the community of
varied problems.
Internally Oriented - This program is based on the premise that every officer of the organizations is police -
community relations officer and attempt to involve all members in promoting good community relations.
The essential characteristic of this program is the realization that the officer on beat creates community
relations whether it is good or bad.