LEA 4N – LESSON 5

Zoom meeting summary – 2020Oct13 (10-11:20am) Fundamental considerations

The basic goal of the patrol unit/force is to safeguard the public/community.

PNP moto/banner - “to serve and protect”

Providing public protection can be done thru:

 Preventive enforcement (progressive and continuous patrolling)
 Selective enforcement (research and investigation)

Patrol leaders should define the essence (and priority) of the patrol operation
 Crime prevention/deterrence – the basic police function; the technique of eliminating the desire
of the people to commit crime
 Crime suppression – a police activity intended to prevent the actual commission of crimes; the
technique of eliminating the opportunity of the people to commit crime
 Police intervention – providing social services

Always consider the fundamental theories of crime deterrence.

 Police visibility: patrol elements should be visible to the public
 Police omnipresence: the police must be present everywhere at all times. The presence of the
police should not be seen only but felt as well by the public at any time and in any place.

The essence of visibility & omnipresence is crime deterrence:

1. In crime prevention, the psychological tool of the police are visibility and omnipresence.
2. Visibility and omnipresence is applied by the police for the purpose of:

a. making their presence felt;

b. giving a feeling of security to law abiding citizens; and
c. providing a feeling of fear to the potential offenders.
 Theories of Patrol:

1. Theory of Police Omnipresence

High police visibility discourages criminals.
Obvious presence of police officers cause criminals to hesitate in executing their plan.

2. Low-Profile Theory
Low police visibility increases the opportunity to apprehend criminals.
Deceptive absence of the police officers will let criminals believe that they will not be detected or
caught if they execute crimes that they have planned. In this theory, the patrol objective is to attract
as little attention as possible while on the process.

Primary objective of patrol activity:

The general objective of patrol activity is “to prevent the commission of crime”.

How?
By destroying the opportunity of potential offenders thru constant and alert patrolling

Anatomy of the Crime:

Crime takes place if the 3 elements or ingredients are present at the same time and place.
Instrumentality, Motive, Opportunity

Once a crime takes place, it can be further explained by using the interaction of these 3 factors: Criminal
Tendency, Total Situation, and Resistance to Temptation (see figure 2).

Instrumentality – the means/instrument used; includes the ‘plan’

Motive – the reason/cause why offender’s commit crime; purpose or aim of doing

Opportunity – chance or ‘twist of fate’; consist of the acts (whether by omission or commission) by a
person (the victim) that enables another person or group of persons (the offender/s) to perpetrate the crime

carelessness = opportunity for the criminals

acts of indiscretion = opportunity for the criminals

lack of security consciousness = opportunity for the criminals

Opportunity – chance or ‘twist of fate’; consist of the acts (whether by omission or commission) by a
person (the victim) that enables another person or group of persons (the offender/s) to perpetrate the crime

carelessness = opportunity for the criminals

acts of indiscretion = opportunity for the criminals

lack of security consciousness = opportunity for the criminals

ANNOUNCEMENTS re the MIDTERM exam
1. Coverage: Lesson 1-5
2. Types of questions: MCQ – 80 pts
Filling the blanks – 20 pts Case analysis
– 15 pts
3. Time: 10-11:30 am (on Oct 16)
4. Review time: 7:30-9:30am (on Oct 16)
Quiz pages will be opened for viewing There might be a mock
exam.
5. Reminders about the exam integrity

ANNOUNCEMENTS re previous quizzes/assignments/discussions Quiz/assignment/discussion pages will be

opened for those who missed the quizzes
Open from 1pm today to 11pm Oct 15.