Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents the literature that have bearing and relationship to

the present study. This gave the researcher broader perspective which aid the

researchers in conceptualizing and understanding of the study of Police Beat

System. The literature and studies cited will help the researchers in the

interpretation of findings.

RELATED LITERATURE

Local literature

Director General Nicanor A. Bartolome, Chief of the Philippine National

Police (PNP), ordered all policemen doing office work to go out and render at

least four hours of security patrols in their areas of jurisdiction.“They will now be

conducting patrol before they go to the office and before they go home,” said

Bartolome. The target time will be from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the morning

and from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the afternoon. According to Bartolome, the

PNP objective is to make use of that time on matters that need the police

concerns most, which is patrolling the streets”. It was implemented by Bartolome

in Metro Manila while he was director of the National Capital Region Police Office

(NCRPO).
 11

After the assessment that it was effective, Bartolome said he wants to

implement it across the country because aside from policemen doing office work,

he said some policemen in other units will also be required to conduct beat

patrol.

He, however, clarified that only those assigned in areas where the threat

of big rebel groups like communist and Moro rebels will be tapped for patrol.

“Some of those assigned in internal security operations will be used for visibility

because we all know that it is an essential component to prevent crime,” said

Bartolome.

Moreover, Abat (2013) stated that in Davao City, the police station is

increasing police visibility in communities to reduce the numbers of crimes. Most

of the policemen are outside for advocacy programs and to maximize visibility.

And also don’t let the ride in a mobile since mostly they are on foot patrol to

observe more the community safety, this way they could easily establish

connection with the community against criminal acts. Policemen also go house-

to-house in different villages in subdivision within the area of their responsibilities

to make sure that they are safe by the police force.

Hence, Rińen (2014), stated that Cebu City is further strengthening police

visibility in public areas where implemented by the police as part of their strategy

to lower street crimes in program dubbed Metro Cebu Comprehensive

Deployment System (MCCDS) which in this program they will maximize police
 12

visibility out in the streets to prevent crimes from happening and witness more

augmentation of policemen out in the streets in beat, foot, and mobile in covert

operations. “The response to street crimes is always police presence”, apart from

increasing the number of policemen in foot and mobile patrols, other strategies

that will be employed the establishment of checkpoints, deployment of covert

personnel and with all these done in random manner.

Therefore, safety is a freedom from harm or danger and the state of

being safe which every person assures in the place they were living and for their

daily lives. People need to feel safe at all times under any circumstances. It does

not matter if you are at home, at work, at school, travelling at social event or in

desperate need of emergency assistance.

Foreign Literature

According to Levinson (2004), “the patrol exercise is not only limited to

crime control but also to reduce the fear within the neighborhood”. This builds

stronger relationship between police and community and wins the resident trust.

Therefore, patrolling is one way of securing, protecting, preserving the life and

property and assuring the safety of the people in the community.

Omaha police are stepping up their presence in two well-known

neighborhoods. The new beat patrols will hit the streets of Dundee and Benson
 13

at 5:30 p.m. each night with the goal of keeping everyone in these busy

neighborhoods safer.

Capt. Shayna Ray said with a newly graduated class, there are now more

officers on the street. It's welcome news for Megan Hunt and her business

partner, who just opened up the Hello Holiday shop in Dundee.

Definitely having cops doing a beat in the Dundee neighborhood, as well

as the Benson neighborhood, would not only make the nightlife scene a little bit

safer for everybody, but just give some peace of mind to the business owners in

the whole area.

Hence, officers are to become experts in the area, they are supposed to

reach out to the community, they're supposed to be out on foot patrol and bike

patrol “Reyes said”.

This unique shift will allow them to focus on those demand times, as well

as be a little more proactive in the area," said City Council President Pete

Festersen.

The new beat will also reach out to residential areas, where Ray says

they're trying to put a dent in burglaries.

Moreover, beat policing is based on traditional policing (late 19th century)

and utilizes the close relationship with the community members within the

assigned beat to strengthen police effectiveness and encourage cooperative

efforts to make a safer community. Beat police typically patrol on foot or bicycle
 14

which provides more interaction between police and community members (Miller

2013).

RELATED STUDIES

Local Study

In the study of Mari et al. (2011), it was investigated that in a survey

conducted among their respondents, the implementation of Police Patrol Unit is

effective in addressing the peace and security in the community.

The study of Tais et al. (2012) on the status of Police Patrol Unit stated

that Police Visibility Operation is very important on the prevention of crime and

suppression of criminals.

Foreign Study

Random preventive patrol strategies are based on the idea that visible

police presence in an area provides a general deterrent effect on crime and that,

subsequently, the general public’s fear of crime is reduced by that same police

presence. It would be expected, as a result, that crimes that would normally take

place in fairly public areas, such as general property offenses or street crimes,

would be more significantly impacted by preventive patrolling practices, whereas

offenses typically committed in relative seclusion would be less susceptible to the

deterrence effects of preventive patrolling. The utilization of police resources for

 15

random preventive patrol activities is, however, ineffective at deterring crime and

apprehending offenders. Research suggests that targeted preventive activities in

strategic zones where the majority of crimes occur, or when treatments driven

by specific policies or practices aimed at meeting strategically defined goals are

utilized, is far more effective in reducing crime (Sherman & Weisburd, 1995).

The first study that aimed to discern the effectiveness of preventive

patrolling practices took place in Kansas City, Missouri in 1972-1973. The Kansas

City Preventive Patrol Experiment took place within fifteen beats, and each beat

was assigned to a proactive group where preventive patrols were increased, a

control group where no changes were made to preventive patrolling practices, or

a reactive group where preventive patrolling was suspended (Kelling et al., 1974).

Generalized, the findings of the Kansas City Experiment showed no significant

impact on crime deterrence, citizen fear of crime, community attitudes toward

the police, or police response time (Kelling et al., 1974).

The Kansas City Experiment suffered from a number of errors in

methodology, as outlined by Larson (1975), but also provided a number of

interesting facts surrounding patrol deployment and perceived police presence as

an unintended by-product. It is important to first note the most applicable

shortcomings identified in the Kansas City Experiment in order to understand

why the general finding that preventive patrol activities appeared to have no

significant impact cannot be taken at face value. Perhaps most importantly, the
 16

areas designated as reactive beats still received a significant visible police

presence through responses to service calls, the routine operations of specialized

units, and patrol-initiated activities such as building or car checks and stopping

motorists for traffic violations. Further, as a result of using multiple patrol units

dispatched in response to calls for service in the reactive groups, and coupled

with an increased use of emergency lights and sirens, there was no diminished

public awareness of a police presence in these areas.

In essence, according to Larson (1975), the nature and design of the

Kansas City Experiment served to empirically test whether patrol units could be

spatially redistributed within a confined region or zone without an actual or

perceived degradation in service, instead of actually testing whether preventive

patrol practice were effective. Understanding the shortcomings of the Kansas

City Experiment results in a clearer understanding of why the conclusion that

routine preventive patrol activity has little or no value is not justifiable. In fact,

Larson’s (1975) analysis of the experiment provides the framework for

understanding Sherman and Weisburd’s (1995) hypothesis that patrol dosage in

the Kansas City Experiment actually varied by a statistically insignificant amount

from normal patrol levels, which is why the Kansas City Experiment seemingly

provided support for the concept that preventive patrol has no effect even

though other studies provided contradictory evidence and conclusions. It is

through targeted patrol dosage in specific zones, or hot spots, and through the
 17

use of strategically defined objectives during patrol activities, that the

effectiveness of certain types of preventive patrol efforts becomes identifiable.

However, in United Kingdom there is a program that have been evaluated

specific safety outcomes and found improvements due to the presence of police

in some areas. These programs hold lessons for community safety in the United

Kingdom. Police Visibility is a comprehensive community and citizen safety

program that incorporates many interventions and partners to improve safety

and to create safer working environments and safer communities. There is

evidence that visibility of police has reduced offending behavior and victimization,

reduced crime rates, and has provided safer environments. Citizen in the

community report that they felt safer since the program was introduced. Other

benefits of the visibility of police was establish to improved relations between

people and the police, and increase the level of respect people have for their

fellow citizens.

Sherman and Weisburd (1995), McGarrell et al. (2001), and Braga (2001)

all provide insights into the effects of “hot spot” policing, which is a form of

place-oriented preventive patrol. McGarrell et al. (2001) also examined the

effects of providing a clear strategic goal for officers during preventive patrol

activities, namely the locating and seizure of illegally possessed firearms, and its

subsequent effect on crime. These studies provide the basis for the conclusion

that certain preventive patrol practices are effective under certain circumstances
 18

and random preventive patrol activities are ineffective, even though the

conclusions of the aforementioned Kansas City Experiment dominated police

thinking about patrol strategies for more than two decades (Sherman &

Weisburd, 1995).

Tested the effects of intensified, but intermittent, patrol on identified “hot

spots” of criminal activity in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the study, one hundred

and ten locales were identified and split into two even groups, with the

experimental group receiving substantially increased levels of patrol dosage as

opposed to the control group. It is worth noting that the experiment was

designed only to measure the effect of heightened police presence at these

locations, and that the activities of officers during the time they were within each

zone was not restricted; in fact, the observed activities of officers during the time

spent within the boundaries of the hot spot included activities unrelated to patrol,

such as reading, sunning, and general conversation. The study found clear, albeit

modest, general deterrence effects as a result of increased police presence in the

targeted areas, though with two caveats: first, there was no test of whether

criminal activity was merely displaced to other areas so general deterrence

effects throughout the community cannot be claimed, and second, the

experiment had not been replicated and therefore may be limited in external

validity thus far.

 19

Along a similar line of inquiry, evaluated the effect of directed patrol

efforts, wherein police units were freed from the responsibility of responding to

calls for service and were instructed to proactively patrol their assigned

neighborhood with an emphasis on locating and seizing illegally owned firearms.

Two different methodologies were utilized in order to examine the effects of a

general deterrence approach versus a specific deterrence approach: in target

area one, police were instructed to increase traffic stops to maximum levels in

order to create a sense of significantly increased police presence, testing a

general deterrence strategy that was also anticipated to lead to seizures of illegal

weapons and drugs; in target area two, police were instructed to focus on

investigating suspicious persons, a specific deterrence strategy, and conducting

more thorough investigations for illegal weapons and drugs with each suspicious

person. Interestingly, the results of the study show a significant reduction in

firearms related crimes in the specific deterrence beat, but actually show an

increase in the general deterrence beat. One possible explanation provided by

McGarrell et al. (2001), for the success of the targeted offender/specific

deterrence approach lies in the possible interpretation of police actions within

that zone, as a result of proactive, directed preventive patrol efforts, as

heightened surveillance as well as removing firearms from those potential

offenders most likely to use them. In effect, a directed strategy for preventive
 20

patrol activities in higher crime locations yields a significant impact in the

reduction of violent crimes.

According to Bragas (2001), he stated that perhaps the most compelling

evidence for the effectiveness of place-oriented preventive patrol as opposed to

random preventive patrol analysis and systematic review of “hot spot” policing

studies. Out of nine studies, seven showed noteworthy crime reductions as a

result of place-oriented patrol activities, and it should be noted that intervention

types ranged among three broad categories: enforcement problem-oriented-

policing (POP) interventions, directed and aggressive patrol programs, and the

use of crackdowns and raids. It is also important to note that methodological

problems in the research and evaluation designs of two studies most likely

accounts for the lack of observed reduced criminal activity in said studies, and

the remaining study showing no discernable impact on reducing crime suffered

from issues in implementation that could account for a lack of significance in

results. Overall, review contributes to a growing body of research evidence

supporting the conclusion that targeting “hot spots” of crime with focused,

strategic intervention efforts is effective at reducing crime, both at the targeted

zone and in surrounding areas, and is far more effective than random preventive

patrol activities. These findings also provide positive indications that

displacement of crime from a targeted zone to a less actively patrolled zone may
 21

be unfounded, though only five of the studies review measured the potential

displacement of criminal activity.

Given the briefly summarized results of the aforementioned experiments

and systematic reviews, it is difficult to justify random preventive patrol efforts in

light of far more effective results from directed patrol activities in the reduction

of crime. Theoretically, random preventive patrol activities should provide

general deterrence effects for publicly visible crimes, such as vandalism,

disorderly conduct, robberies and burglaries, and potentially aggravated assault.

However, targeted patrol activities appear to have the same effect with regards

to increased public visibility in providing a level of general deterrence while

simultaneously providing far more effective specific deterrence effects, as noted

in the studies and reviews above. Therefore, the effectiveness of random

preventive patrol activities is conclusively inefficient when compared with other

methods of targeting and reducing criminal activity within any given zone (Braga,

2001).

Synthesis of the Reviewed and Related Studies

The literature and studies reviewed and presented provided the

researchers understanding on how to go about the present study. Though, there

were limited resources for both related literature and studies. It is hoped that the

conduct of this study will paved the way for more studies.
 22

As stated by Manwong (2008), the patrol operations provide continuous

police service and high visibility of law enforcement and it is the most vital

component of police work. In fact, in organizing the police organization, patrol is

considered the skeletal foundation. It is the backbone of the department.

Some of the study focuses on police visibility just like, Rińen (2014),

statement that Cebu City is further strengthening police visibility in public areas

where implemented by the police as part of their strategy to lower street crimes

in program dubbed Metro Cebu Comprehensive Deployment System (MCCDS)

which in this program they will maximize police visibility out in the streets to

prevent crimes from happening and witness more augmentation of policemen

out in the streets in beat, foot, and mobile in covert operations. “The response to

street crimes is always police presence”, apart from increasing the number of

policemen in foot and mobile patrols, other strategies that will be employed the

establishment of checkpoints, deployment of covert personnel and with all these

done in random manner.

Levinson (2004), stated that “the patrol exercise is not only limited to

crime control but also to reduce the fear within the neighborhood”. This builds

stronger relationship between police and community and wins the resident trust.

Therefore, patrolling is one way of securing, protecting, preserving the life and

property and assuring the safety of the people in the community.

 23

Reviewed studies and literature are all commonly concerned about the

patrol programs held in order to prevent crime and to strengthen the relationship

between the community and the law enforcers because of police visibility.

The primary concern of patrol program is to reduced offending behavior

and victimization or violent crimes, reduced crime rates, and has provided safer

environments.

Theoretical Framework

Throughout the ages people started practicing the utilization of workers

and equipment in order to protect his well- being and property thus, the civilized

man adopts security measures to have adequate protection against unsecured

environment. According to Peckley & Fontanos (2008), the theoretical foundation

for security is based on several assumptions. First, individuals choose pleasure

over pain and often make inappropriate decisions in search of gratification.

Second, individuals commit crime when conditions exist that promotes suitable

targets of opportunity for crime and the influence of social control is lacking.

Third, the opportunity for the crime can be reduced through manipulation of the

environment (American Society for Industrial Security, 2000). Fourth, in the

occurrence of appropriate prevention and intervention strategies are not

implemented (Hess & Wrobleski, 2011). Police beat system is intended to provide

these prevention and intervention strategies.

 24

Human needs arise out of a person’s biological or psychological makeup.

They can be biological (biogenic) needs which are the needs of the body which

exist for the maintenance of health and protection of the body against physical

injuries.

These are influenced primarily by the kind of society in which the

individuals are raised. Psychological motives are those related to the individual

happiness and well being, but not for survival, unlike the biological motives that

focuses on basic needs – the primary motives.

Accordingly, there is a hierarchy of needs ascending from the basic

biological needs present at birth to the more complex psychological needs that

become important only after the more basic needs have been satisfied.

According to Maslow’s, the level that commands the individual’s attention

and effort is ordinarily the lowest one on which there is an unmet need. For

example, unless needs for safety is reasonably well-met behavior will be

dominated by these needs and higher motives are of little significance. With their

gratification, however, the individual is free to devote time and effort to meet on

the highest levels. In other words, one level must be at least partially satisfied

before those at the next level become determiners of action.

“Practice theory” is a theory of how social beings, with their diverse

motives and their diverse intentions, make and transform the world in which they

live. It is dialectic between structure and human action working back and forth in
 25

a dynamic relationship. Practice theory, as outlined by Sherry Ortner, "seeks to

explain the relationship(s) that obtain between human action, on the one hand,

and some global entity which we call 'the system' on the other." The approach

seeks to resolve the antinomy between traditional structuralism approaches and

approaches such as methodological individualism which attempted to explain all

social phenomena in terms of individual actions.

Safety is often seen as one of a group of related disciplines: quality,

reliability, availability, maintainability and safety. These issues tend to determine

the value of any work, and deficits in any of these areas are considered to result

in a cost, beyond the cost of addressing the area in the first place; good

management is then expected to minimize total cost.

However, Community/stakeholders need to be active partners in the

deployment of foot patrol. Training community members, businesses, and other

stakeholders in crime prevention, environmental issues, neighborhood watch

strategies, being effective witnesses, and problem solving will assist in reducing

crime.

Stakeholders can contribute by taking action in the form of citizen patrols,

graffiti eradication, youth programs, and trash removal. Other municipal agencies

can assist with enforcing codes, developing youth programs, enhancing lighting,

and removing visual barriers.

 26

Officers assigned to foot patrols must have the training, resources, and

support to develop and implement programs that address the specific needs of

the beat area.

Conceptual Framework

Foot patrol is the oldest form of police patrol work. The use of foot patrols

decreased substantially in the last century before reemerging as a community

policing tool. The benefits, particularly in the form of community goodwill and

improves relationships between the police and community, may help to explain

the recent resurgence in this practice. Coupled with the high gas prices in 2008,

foot patrols are once again being used as a community policing tool.

As with many policing strategies, departments adapt their approaches to

community and departmental needs. Historically, foot patrols had a small effect

on crime, but significant changes have been recorded with increased community

stratification. Departments that the positive elements of foot patrols and combine

their efforts with data analysis that focuses on the time, location, and type of

crime, may use the findings to develop strategies to decrease crime and enhance

the quality of life in their communities.

The following are key initiatives that a department can use to pave the

way for foot patrols to succeed: (a) determine the date, time, and location of

service calls by type, and create representative maps to aid in efficient and
 27

effective deployment; (b) complement statistical analysis with a community

survey to obtain the opinions of residents and business owners regarding priority

issues; (c) invite the community to participate in planning sessions; (d) recruit a

range of individuals (both officers and civilians) to use various models of patrol,

demonstrating that both police and civilians can address public expectations

through a variety of approaches such as volunteer efforts with neighborhood

watch programs and crime-prevention programming; and (e) strategic planning –

Establish a structure for long-term implementation and evaluation.

Hence, police visibility was seen as a means of facilitating engagement

and intervention which, when combined, would be expected to enhance quality

of life, reduce fear of crime, fear of intimidation and reduce the incidence of

crime. By cutting red tape and focusing staffing reductions on back-office

functions, it should be possible to maintain a consistent frontline presence, which

is a key aspect of policing for maintaining citizen confidence in the service. With

all these resources, however, it would still boil down to presence. The need for

police presence in every street around the city is what counts in the heightened

battle against criminality. A roving police team cannot only deter crime. It can

also create a feeling of safety and security among the people (Maborrang, 2013).

According to Montojo (2006), safety is the state of being "safe" the

condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political,

emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or

 28

consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event

which could be considered non-desirable. Safety can also be defined to be the

control of recognized hazards to achieve an acceptable level of risk. This can

take the form of being protected from the event or from exposure to something

that causes health or economic losses. It can include protection of people or of

possessions.

However, concept of omnipresence (based from the principles of Sir

Robert Peel) is the community’s perception that the police is always present

anytime, anywhere, who are always ready to assist the public of any untoward

eventuality this, for a matter will consciously promote sense of security to the

citizenry.

Also, today our police department continues to evolve to meet the

changing needs of the community in providing a safe and secure environment for

our citizens to live and work.

Crank, stated that routine patrol is a strategies that based on the idea that

police visibility in an area provides a general deterrent effect on crime and that,

subsequently, the general public’s fear of crime is reduced by that same police

presence. It would be expected, as a result, that crimes that would normally take

place in fairly public areas, such as general property offenses or street crimes,

would be more significantly impacted by preventive patrolling practices, whereas

offenses typically committed in relative seclusion would be less susceptible to the

 29

deterrence effects of preventive patrolling. There is no initiative on the part of

the officer or the organization to target a specific area or problem within the

geographical patrol district. However, it can also be argued that routine patrol is

required in order to facilitate response in a timely manner to dispatch calls.

With the presented concepts, this study focused on the effectiveness of

the Police Beat System in San Manuel, Pangasinan; Figure 1 illustrates the

paradigm of the study. The Police Beat System in San Manuel, Pangasinan was

used as independent variables. Using these inputs, the researchers was able to

determine the level of effectiveness of the Police Beat System in San Manuel,

Pangasinan, the differences that exist between the perceptions of the

respondents on the class respondent on the effectiveness of Police Beat System

in San Manuel, Pangasinan and the problems encountered by the Police Beat

Officer while conducting patrol in San Manuel, Pangasinan as perceived by the

respondents as dependent variables.

 30

Conceptual Paradigm

Independent Variables Dependent Variables

Profile of the respondents Determine the:

in tems of: Level of Effectiveness of

Police Beat System in San
a. Age; Manuel, Pangasinan as
perceived by the
b. Sex; respondents.

c. Civil Status;
Problems encountered by
d. Religion; the Police Beat Patrol
Officer while conducting
e. Educational patrol in San Manuel,
Pangasinan as perceived
Attainment;
by the respondents.
f. Occupation

Classification:

1. PNP Personnel
2. Community
3. Brgy. Official
4. School Personnel
Moderator

Figure 1: Paradigm of the Study