Integration of Community and Service-Oriented Policing in the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety

Chapter I

Introduction

In 1829 Sir Robert Peel, father of modern policing highlighted that “the ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval of police existence, actions, behavior and the ability of the police to secure and maintain public respect”.  According to Kringen and Kringen (2017), the highlights of law enforcement were on “transparency, re-establish legitimacy, and to always improve strained community relations”.  This statement still holds to be true and applicable.  In order to prevent further negative implications, there is a need to revitalize and strengthen the importance of a mutual working partnership between the community and the police.    

Globally, the philosophy of community policing has been highly recognized as a crime prevention tool.  According to European Union External Action EUPOL COPPS (2016), community policing works when collaboration exists between the community and the police.  Both groups focus to prevent, analyze and solve challenges and problems face by the community.  In this way, both the community members and the police are guardians of law and order; and works together to address safety and security in their own neighborhoods.  In this manner, the police give support and resources to help to solve problems and better lives in the community.  Yet, all these can only be achieved when the police have earned the trust of the people. 

In the Philippines, community policing is considered a challenge as well.  The current President of the Philippines, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte won the May 2016 Elections when he promised to eradicate crimes, illegal drug use and dealing; and corruption in the country within three to six-month period once elected.  This promised made him the 16^th President of the Republic of the Philippines.  After his assumption, immediately, he implemented the cornerstone of his domestic policy, “the war on illegal-drugs and criminality”.  These reforms introduced through the Philippine National Police (PNP), such as OPLAN Double Barrel, and other anti-crime programs made the country experienced an increased police presence and intensified law enforcement.  With all these, the PNP has been beleaguered with issues to present time both national and international bodies on alleged perceived human rights violations, police impunity, and institutional corruption amid the implementation of their tough policing strategies to eradicate crime and illegal drugs which affects the public trust rating of the police organization.

Situations like these, only calls that community policing must be strengthened and reinforced.   In the Philippines, community policing is carried out in the QUAD Functions of the Philippine National Police (PNP) (PNP Police Community Relations Manual, 2012).  At the same time, in 2015, the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) issued Resolution No. 2015-342 entitled “Resolution to empower the Philippine National Police (PNP) to perform its role as a community and service-oriented agency through the adoption of the Community and Service-Oriented Policing (CSOP) system involving the Local Executives, the PNP and the Community, as mandated by law under section 2 of R.A. 6975, as amended by R.A. 8551 and the Philippine Constitution as well.

Further, another area where community policing and CSOP can be strengthened and carried out is on the education and training curriculum that police cadets and recruits undergo.  According to Spasic, Vuckovic, & Milojevic (2014), the conduct of successful community policing cannot be materialized without gaining proper training and education.  Community policing must be included in police education and training programs, structure, and the level of education and training police officers should complete. 

Considering police training and education on community policing, one of the areas where it can strongly be founded and developed is at the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA).  This higher education institution was established to develop and produce professional police lieutenants.  PNPA was given birth by the creation of Presidential Decree 1184 (PD 1184) also known as the “Integrated National Police Professionalization Law of 1977”.  This was enacted to establish a comprehensive personnel development program in order to maintain a competent Integrated National Police the decree with the end view of professionalizing the personnel in every of command of the Integrated National Police.  Meanwhile, PD 1780 marked the PNPA’s “academic charter” providing the academy its status as state university and as the premier educational institution of the country’s national police force and consistent with the constitutional principle that all institutions of higher learning shall enjoy academic freedom as enshrined in the Philippine Constitutions of 1935, 1973, and 1987.

Further, the philosophy of community policing is highlighted at PNPA’s Mission and Vision respectively.  Its mission is to “to provide comprehensive education and training programs to transform cadets into God-centered, community responsive public safety officers trusted and respected by the people”.  And relatedly, in its high-level goal for the future, PNPA’s Vision is to be, “By the Grace of God in 2030, the PNPA shall be the premier educational institution, molding professional and community service-oriented public safety leaders in South East Asia.   PNPA’s Vision and Mission statements both intends that all PNPA Cadets will undergo education and training to be community-responsive and community and service-oriented public safety leaders which are all under the concept and strategies of community policing. 

For over 40 years of existence and as policing landscape in the country continuously evolved, PNPA needs to continuously adapt to changing times to provide young and quality public safety officers to lead the Filipino communities. To meet this challenge, it is imperative for PNPA to continuously align the institutional objective from the needs of the community and the PNP organization as enshrined in the constitution and other enacted laws (RA 6975 and RA 8551) and the PNP PATROL Plan 2030 (PNP Transformation Road Map) as a “civilian in character” and “community-oriented” police organization. 

Yet, to what degree are the ideals of PNPA Mission, Vision, philosophy of community policing, and approaches of Community and Service-Oriented Policing materialized at the BSPS present curriculum and program of activities?   It is for these reasons, that the researchers became highly interested to pursue this study with the hope that PNPA Graduates will be competent and proactive on policing concepts & strategies.  Thus, avoiding confusion among young PNPA graduates as they lead and manage the different police stations and other units of the PNP most especially considering that the everyday community policing depends on police officers who are competent in community policing and community service-oriented policing.

Statement of the Problem

This research described the integration of Community and Service-Oriented Policing (CSOP) to the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety (BSPS) curriculum.  Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following questions:

1. How extensive is the integration of Community and Service-Oriented Policing in the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum in terms of:

a.) Courses offered

b.) Academic activities

c.) Non-academic activities?

2. How can the integration of Community and Service-Oriented Policing in the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety curriculum be sustained considering the aforementioned variables?

3. Based on the findings of the study, what recommendations can be given?

Significance of the Study

The study may be beneficial to the following areas:

Philippine National Police Academy.  The findings of this study may first serve beneficial to PNPA Leadership and Cadets.  This research may be able to specifically identify what areas in community policing and community and service-oriented policing may be included in the BSPS Curriculum, program, and activities.  This research may serve as a curriculum evaluation tool at the same time.  Further, faculty members of the PNPA may also be guided on what topics and activities may be provided to facilitate lessons for community policing and community and service- oriented policing.

Philippine National Police Academy Graduates or Lakans.  The PNPA Alumni may also gain benefit from this study as they may be competent in the conduct of community policing and community and service-oriented policing.  Confusions on what to do on the field may be avoided.  Thus, making them more competent both in their practice and work values. 

Philippine National Police.  Findings of this study may be of helped to the PNP in general, as results of the study may help PNPA produce competent and qualified police lieutenants with the heart of community policing.

The Local Government Units.    The local government units may benefit from this study as well considering that they will be the recipients or will be working with police leaders from PNPA who are founded on community policing and community and service-oriented policing.

Community.  This research aims to help the community as well.  The main goal of this research is to highlight community policing and community and service-oriented policing to PNPA Curriculum so in turn graduates may be more competent on such.  Thus, improving their police practices with the communities PNPA Graduates will serve.

Future Researchers.     The findings of this research may contribute a lot to the study of community policing as integrated to police education and training considering that there are very few studies conducted on these variables.  This study will serve as a baseline data for further studies.  Limitations set in this study may be done for future studies using different research designs and approaches with a bigger population coverage and sample size.

Coverage of the Data Set

The focus of this study is to describe the level of integration of community and service-oriented policing to the BSPS Curriculum.  At the same time this research will also identify how the said integration can be sustained.  The findings then may serve as basis for action plan on curriculum development enhancement.  Respondents in this study were composed of first-class cadets, key leaders, and selected graduates of the Philippine National Police Academy.  This research study was conducted from September 2020 to April 2021.

Further, this research also had limitations.  First, this research did not measure significant differences on the findings of the study considering three groups of respondents.  At the same time, respondents’ personal background such as personality traits, interests, motivation, cultural, religious and educational background were not included in this study yet may have an influence on the answers given by the respondents.   Another limitation of the study was the willingness of the respondents to participate in this study considering that some respondents are police officers who may be most of the times are on call or on duty especially on the new normal status due to COVID-19 Pandemic.  Lastly, this research is conducted in such a limited time as well of which may be a reason for the limited number of data that may be gathered.

Theoretical Framework

This research is founded by the study of Spasic, Vuckovic, & Milojevic (2014) and supported by the theory of Tyler’s Model of Curriculum Development (Ray, Dennis, & John, 2007).  As stated by Spasic, Vuckovic, & Milojevic (2014), “community policing must be included in police education and training programs, structure, and the level of education and training police officers should complete”.  With these, community policing is important to be integrated to police education and training through its curriculum and activities.

According to Centre for University Teaching as cited by Cruickshank (2018), “the primary purpose of curriculum development is to make sure that students receive integrated and relevant learning experiences that contribute towards their learning, growth and development.  With curriculum development, American Educator Ralph Tyler gave recommendations on curriculum design and how to do it.  The model created by Tyler was a response to concerns and issues about accountability in education and ever since this has dominated curriculum planning.   Tyler’s theory became popular as it contributed on the introduction of outcomes-based education in 1990s (Cruickshank, 2018).  More importantly, as stated by Cruickshank (2018), “Tyler’s model can be applied to all learning areas and levels and it is easy to find the appropriateness of a subject’s content, activities and teaching methods based on the objective evaluation”. 

The work of Tyler proposed four basic principles of curriculum development to any particular project or course.  For him, curriculum development must answer these four central questions: a) what education purposes should the school seek to attain?, b) what educational experiences can be provided that are likely to attain these purposes?, c) how can these educational experiences be effectively organized?, and d) how can these purposes be determined and attained?   

For the first question asked,   “What education purposes should the school seek to attain?”, key players involved here are those in the industry, teachers, advisory board, and university administrators.  At this level, the purposes to be addressed are societal and student needs.   These then will serve as the basis for objectives/purposes set.  Further, the second question asked by Tyler was, “What educational experiences can be provided that are likely to attain these purposes?”, teaching environment has a very big role.  The use of Lectures, laboratory exercises, internships, and combination of many methods must all be checked to ensure that objectives/purposes set will be achieved.  At the same time, the cognitive, affective, and behavioral domains of learning must be facilitated.  For the third question, “How can these educational experiences be effectively organized?”, learning experienced must be done from simple to complex, general to specific, and learning experiences must build on each other.  Lastly, the fourth question, “How can purposes be attained?”, the use of follow up studies, graduating student interviews, and program reviews can be used.  The illustration of Tyler’s Model is reflected at Figure 1 shown below:

Considering Tyler’s suggestions on curriculum development as applied to this research, one the education purposes of the BSPS Curriculum is to ensure that PNPA Graduates be competent in community policing and community service-oriented policing.  This research suggests that this be done through the integration and sustainability of CSOP to the BSPS Curriculum specifically to the courses offered; and academic and non-academic activities provided.

Operational Planning Framework

Consolidating all the literatures gathered used in this study, the direction of the research variables and possible outcomes of the study are presented as well.  Figure 2 showed the operational planning framework of the study based from different laws and policies governing and significant to the variables of the study

Figure 2 showed the direction of the study based on gathered literatures.  Community Service-Oriented Policing is grounded on the Philippine Constitution, NAPOLCOM Resolution, PNP Mandate, Vision and Mission; and PNPA Mandate, Vision, and Mission as well.  All these must be integrated and sustained at the BSPS Curriculum.

Operational Definition of Terms

In this study, the following terms were used operationally.

Academic Activities.  This refers to all major programs under the academic courses of the BSPS Curriculum provided by Academics Group of PNPA relative and founded on the concept of community policing or CSOP.

BSPS Curriculum.   This refers to the “Old and Transition” Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum four- year degree provided by the Philippine National Police Academy offered to PNPA Classes 2004 to 2020 respectively.

Community Policing.  This refers to a law enforcement philosophy that allows police officers to continuously operate in the same area in order to create a stronger bond with the citizens living and working in that area. This allows public safety officers to engage with local residents and prevent crime from happening instead of responding to incidents after they occur (Lortz, 2016).

Community and Service-Oriented Policing (CSOP). This refers to the promotion of peace and order and public safety and the strengthening of local government capability aimed towards the effective delivery of basic services to the citizenry as mandated by the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM).  This contains core concept, strategies, and initiatives, and program development framework.

Courses Offered.  This refers to all courses of the BSPS Curriculum relative and founded on the concept of community policing and CSOP.

Non-Academic Activities.  This refers to all extra-curricular programs under the BSPS Curriculum provided by the Tactics Group of PNPA relative and founded on the concept of community policing and CSOP.

Philippine National Police Academy.   This refers to the higher education institution established to develop and produce professional police lieutenants.  PNPA was given birth by the creation of Presidential Decree 1184 (PD 1184) also known as the “Integrated National Police Professionalization Law of 1977”.

Sustainability.  This refers to the permanence of the BSPS Curriculum to ensure that Community and Service-Oriented Poling are strengthened at the BSPS Curriculum.

Review of Related Literature

Background Realities

National Setting

The increasing challenges faced by the police in the society necessitate the police to be more proactive in their dealings in crime prevention and suppression.  This can be done through the application of community policing, and it has been shown to have more positive outcomes in achieving public safety.   The success of community policing lies in the performance among police officers, and this can significantly be achieved through both training and education received by police officers (Kringen and Kringen, 2017).  In the United States of America, the need for community policing to be integrated into police training and education has been recognized as a need to strengthen community policing and vital to (Kringen and Kringen, 2017).  However, this is not always the case.  Reports were made about the poor learning recruits in community policing in police academies (Kringen and Kringen, 2017).

Reasons for poor community police training among recruits have been identified in the literature.  The first is due to the mismatch between what is learned in police academies and the reality that exists in the field of community policing (Kringen and Kringen, 2017).  The second reason pertains to the “intentional impacts” of the police academy experience among recruits.  The perspectives and values of recruits may change throughout their training as influenced by their more experienced police instructors and professors, which may have a big role in recruits’ police culture in the future.  The challenge here comes when the experienced police instructors and professors are shallow and do not focus on community policing (Kringen and Kringen, 2017).  Seeing these, recommendations were given on strengthening community policing in police training and education.  Kringen and Kringen (2017) suggested that there must be community engagement among police recruits.  Further, the conduct of successful community policing can be achieved when there is proper training and education.  Community policing must be included in police education and training programs, structure, and the level of education and training police officers should complete (Spasic, Vuckovic, & Milojevic, 2014).

Local Setting

In the Philippines, it has been observed that one of the problems with the police is having a military orientation along with corruption, lack of professionalism, lack of public trust, and scarcity of resources.  Added to these are the lack of police for engagement with the community and the ability and dedication of the police to come up with innovative solutions to specific problems.  These dilemmas have lead for educational reforms on police education and training.  To these, R.A. 11279 was created with the hope to enhance the police training curriculum and produce graduates to be better police officers with utmost competency, high moral fiber, and respect for human rights.

Conceptual Literature

Community Policing

The history of community policing can be rooted in the “Broken Windows Theory” of George L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson in the 1980s.  The Broken Windows Theory assumes that crimes vigorously develop in communities or places where disorderly behaviors are taken for granted or ignored.    The Broken Windows Theory by Kelling and Wilson started from the experiment of a psychologist, Philip Zimbardo, in 1969 from Stanford University.  Zimbardo did an interesting experiment in the field where he placed two abandoned cars in two different places respectively in New York City and California.  The first location was in a poor and high-crime community in New York City, while the other was in a well-off neighborhood in Palo Alto, California. 

Both cars were dumped with no license plates and left with their hoods up.  After 10 minutes, the car that was left in New York City began to have vandals; parts were stripped off, windows were smashed, and the car was destructed terribly.  Meanwhile, the car left in California was left untouched for more than a week.  Zimbardo’s curiosity added some more features to his experiment.  He returned to the car left in California and smashed it with a sledgehammer.  After such, passersby quickly gave their own way of destroying the car same as what happened to the car in New York City.  Such a sad picture, yet it shows important implications in the area of policing and public order.  This field experiment study showed that once something is neglected it can be a potential target for vandalism and can even evolve into more destructions.  Eventually, this experiment became the basis of the Broken Windows Theory (Vedantam, et al., 2016).

After 13 years, two criminologists named George L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson became interested and curious about the field study created by Zimbardo.  They believed this study could be applied to a larger scale of law and order and crime prevention in communities.  In the experiment, Zimbardo showed that once a disorder starts to happen, it does not matter what kind of communities there are.  Right then and then, law and order must be present and must always be present (Vedantam, et al., 2016).  As stated by Lombardo and Lough (2007), “Broken Windows Theory is based on the assumption that disorder and crime are linked in a developmental sequence. If a window in a building is broken and left unrepaired, so the argument goes, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken as well. The unrepaired window is a signal that no one cares, and so breaking more windows will not result in official sanction”.  These explanations supported the idea that immediately addressing small problems in the neighborhood or community empowers the community.  People in the community start taking ownership and showing concern for public spaces and what happens in the streets.  Communities become stronger when order is restored and maintained.  These are all the dynamics needed to help crime prevention (Vedantam, et al., 2016). 

The Broken Windows Theory then opened the idea of the importance of police-community partnership as a policing method and strategy for crime prevention.   As quoted by COPS (2014) “community policing is a philosophy that promotes organizational strategies that support the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues such as crime, social disorder, and fear of crime.” (COPS, 2014).  The organizational components of community policing include agency management, organizational structure, personnel, and information systems. Together, these components are envisioned as aligning to support community partnerships, proactive problem solving, and better relationships between the community and the police” (As cited by Kringen and Kringen, 2017).

Further, Cossyleon (2019) identified that there are four components of community policing.  These are a) proactive problem-solving, b) proactive police participation, c) shifting command responsibilities to lower ranks of the police force, and d) public participation in planning and supervising police operations (Cossyleon, 2019).  The first component – proactive problem solving, require police officers to focus on root causes of the problems existing in the community rather than just focusing on incidents only (Cossyleon, 2019).  At this level, police officers must be educated and trained in gathering related and important information about criminal events.  At the same time, police officers must learn how to research likely sources of social problems to prevent more criminal incidents (Cossyleon, 2019).

The second component – is proactive police participation, also known as community partnership (Cossyleon, 2019 and Bureau of Justice Assistance of the US Department of Justice, 1994).  This component of community policing aims to integrate police with the communities and not just the police to respond to criminal complaints.  Proactive police participation is done to build relationships in the community with the police such as government agencies, community residents, associations, non-profit organizations, and local private businesses (Cossyleon, 2019).

The third component of community policing is shifting command responsibilities to lower ranks of the police force.  This can be achieved by training police officers to have autonomy and utilize discretion (Cossyleon, 2019).  Lastly, the fourth component of community policing involves public participation in planning and supervising police operations.  This idea, as this component involves the community in planning and supervising police operations.  This will elicit a feeling of involvement in public safety.  Some practices include police officers using surveys to get feedback and recommendations from the community.  This can include door-knocking and systematic crime-tracking through data analytics (Cossyleon, 2019). 

These literatures showed the background, definitions, and aspects or components of community policing.  Yet, as stated by Cossyleon (2019), “Community policing has been defined and implemented differently over time and within different contexts, largely because it is a policing philosophy that is tailored to the changing needs of local communities”. 

Community and Service-Oriented Policing

In the Philippines, the demonstration of community policing can be related to the practice of the “Community and Service-Oriented Policing” system or “CSOP”.  As defined by the National Police Commission, “CSOP refers to the promotion of peace and order and public safety and the strengthening of local government capability aimed towards the effective delivery of basic services to the citizenry”.  The following discussion about CSOP was quoted from the Implementing Guidelines For City/Municipal Community and Service-Oriented Policing System provided by the National Police Commission (n.d).

The CSOP was shaped by NAPOLCOM to support the PNP PATROL Plan 2030 (PNP Transformation Road Map) as part of its structural reforms to address organizational dysfunction, improve the quality of police services, strengthen law enforcement capabilities, and enhance the welfare and benefits of police personnel and their dependents.  The legal support and bases of CSOP can be seen in Section 2, R.A. No. 6975, emphasizing that the PNP’s national scope and civilian character shall be paramount.  In addition, Section 2 of R.A. No. 8551 focused on community and service-oriented agency while R.A. No. 6975 highlights three policing objectives such as a) to promote peace and order, b) to ensure public safety, and c) to further strengthen local government capability aimed towards the effective delivery of the basic services to the citizenry.  Further, it was stated that the “State shall bolster a system of coordination and cooperation among the citizenry, local executives, and the integrated law enforcement and public safety agencies under R.A. 6975.  This law wants tripartite coordination and cooperation among local law enforcement units, local executives, and citizenry to accomplish policing activities in the localities” (National Police Commission). 

The PNP recognizes that police service will be relevant and responsive to the needs of the public if they will not only focus in preventing and solving crimes, but rather strengthening local government capabilities by providing effective delivery of basic services to the citizens and community development.  And with these, the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) prescribed the adoption of the Community and Service-Oriented Policing system in the PNP as the foundation of community-oriented policing and strategies for crime prevention in the Philippines.

CSOP system guarantees the coordination and cooperation mechanism composed of the local chief executives (LCE), the citizens, and the police.  This is also called as “Triumvirate”.  CSOP entails transforming police officers into community leaders by having a mindset of a proactive law enforcer rather than reactive in solving crimes and ensuring public safety.  At the same time, CSOP strengthens the capability of the LGUs to deliver basic services in partnership with the citizenry and other allied law enforcement agencies (NAPOLCOM, n.d.).  Moreover, as stated by NAPOLCOM, “The police and the LGUs shall work hand in hand to address local development concerns through a system of program complementation and resource sharing”.  Seeing these laws gives wisdom that policing in the Philippines has developed and evolved away from traditional policing.  CSOP shows a more proactive, collaborative, and service-oriented approach to dealing with public safety.  In addition, NAPOLCOM identified three major areas of CSOP such as a) core components, b) strategies and initiatives, and c) program development framework.  All these are presented in detail in the guidelines and framework on CSOP provided by NAPOLCOM (see attached annex).

Core Components of CSOP

In this area, the discussion includes those with a major role in CSOP, also known as CSOP Triumvirate.  These actors are local chief executives, the citizenry, and the police.  As stated in NAPOLCOM CSOP Guidelines, “The CSOP shall bolster community and service-oriented activities in the locality and thereby gain the trust and support of the local government and the community towards better cooperation and coordination for local development. The three main actors shall maintain an interdependent and reciprocal relationship. The police shall ensure that they provide the services needed by the community so that the community shall support their programs. The police shall provide support and assistance to the Mayor. The Mayor shall give guidance and provide logistical support to police programs. The local police shall initiate the building of collaborative partnerships with the local executives, organizations, and individuals to develop solutions at the local level and improve the delivery of basic services”.  Further, specifications on how to improve police service support and roles of local executives, and how to strengthen community partnerships are discussed as well (see Annex A on NAPOLCOM CSOP Guidelines).  Figure 3, presented below, shows the CSOP Triumvirate (NAPOLCOM, 2015).

CSOP Strategies and Initiatives

CSOP strategies include organizational and operational.  Quoted at NAPOLCOM CSOP Guidelines, “as a philosophy, the CSOP system shall be the approach to policing taken by every police officer. It shall be the process of changing the mindset and attitude of the members of the police force in solving criminality and delivering services to the community. Because of this, the PNP shall make sure that the CSOP system shall form part of the individual scorecard of police officers and that the implementation of the CSOP shall be monitored and included in police performance assessment.  As a crime prevention and operational strategy, the City/Municipal Police Station shall undertake the full implementation of CSOP. The maximum impact cannot be achieved unless the entire station adopts the CSOP philosophy. The City/Municipal Police Station shall be organized in a manner that reflects the commitment to CSOP and community problem-solving.  The CSOP system shall work within the established and existing local inter-agency coordinating mechanisms in the locality like the City/Municipal Peace and Order Council (CPOC/MPOC)”.

Considering operational initiatives for CSOP, this happens at the City/Municipal level of which is focused on enhancing and strengthening the community partnership.  Two initiatives are at this stage.  Initiative one happens between the local chief executive and the chief of police of which will focus on strengthening community partnership through crime prevention and problem-solving activities.  It is the role of the police to coordinate with the LGU and conducts the following (all are taken from NAPOLCOM CSOP Guidelines):

1. Organize and conduct regular and structured meetings (“pulong-pulong”) and/or public for a or dialogues with the community or with community representatives to include but not limited to Muslim, other indigenous people’s (IP) communities and vulnerable groups to identify top issues and concerns of the community using a problem-solving approach;

2. Organize and conduct institutional dialogues on the implementation of rights-based community policing with Barangay Human Rights Action Centers (BHRACs) as grass root partners;

3. Plan and implement neighborhood watch or other self-help mechanisms that encourage local community involvement in policing and engage the services of Barangay Tanods and/or Civilian Volunteer Organizations (CVOs) and other force multipliers;

4. Plan and implement alternative activities for meetings and face-to-face interactions with various sectors of the community to listen to their views and requests on police activities to serve as a venue for providing information on preventing crimes and accidents and for intelligence gathering purposes;

5. Conduct regular residence, school, and workplace visitations;

6. Conduct foot and bicycle patrols, converse with the residents, and do the following: a) note the presence of strangers, b) note common community concerns like accumulation of garbage, busted water pipes, broken streetlights, and others, c) occasionally question persons with suspicious behavior, d) keep an eye on places prone to traffic accidents, traffic violations, or potential sources of conflicts between or among motorists, d) give advice, counsel and guidance to children in conflict with the law (CICL), and e) note other issues and concerns affecting the delivery of basic services;

7. Receive and engage community organizations and individuals visiting the police station;

8. Undertake crime prevention projects and activities as a result of problem-solving exercises done in coordination and consultation with the community by providing mechanisms for reporting incidents, crimes, and community safety concerns, and entice and involve the community to take part in the reporting of incidents, crimes, and community safety concerns through SMS, calls and on-line reporti

9. Conduct of Information-Education-Communication (IEC) activities on crime prevention in schools, business establishments, commercial areas and barangays;

10.  Publish bulletins/newsletters by police stations/PCPs on Crime, Accidents, Crime prevention tips, What-to-do when victimized, Peace and order matters in the community, views and suggestions from local residents;

11.  Display on Billboard enticing citizens to be involved in CSOP; and

12.  Plan and implement, in coordination with concerned line agencies, other community relations activities like Medical and Dental missions, environmental projects and activities (clean and green), sports competitions, cultural festivals and livelihood seminars.

Moreover, initiative 2 covers the police to optimize collaboration with the Chief Locaal Executive/Mayor by the following:

1. Assist NAPOLCOM in the conduct of orientation for newly elected Mayors, emphasizing their responsibilities as NAPOLCOM deputies;

2. Plan and conduct periodic peace and order reviews and assessments to be presented to the Mayor and POC, including an assessment of the efficiency and effectiveness of the police program.

3. Identify strategies for top peace and order and public safety issues of the community;

4. Present the Integrated Area/Community Public Safety Plan (IA/CPSP), now the (consolidated CSOP Plan) to the Mayor;

5. Regularly meet with the Mayor and gain his/her commitment and support.

And lastly, the last initiative support for CSOP involves force multipliers.  Again, as stated at NAPOLCOM CSOP Guidelines, “the police shall increase policing presence in the community by organizing and strengthening their force multipliers, to include the incorporation of the following programs: Pulis Nyo Po sa Barangay, Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams (BPATs), Barangay Intelligence Networks (BINs).  The key to generating the best community support shall be the organization of the community, especially the force multipliers. Per previous police tactical experiences, particularly in anti-terrorism efforts, it is suggested that the force multipliers include the incorporation of the following programs: Pulis Nyo Po sa Barangay, Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams (BPATs), Barangay Intelligence Networks (BINs).  The key to generating the best community support shall be the organization of the community, especially the force multipliers. Per previous police tactical experiences, particularly in anti-terrorism efforts, it is suggested that the force multipliers be organized into three groups, namely 1) operational, 2) support, and 3) united front.

CSOP Program Development Framework

CSOP has created a framework for program development that can be applied in the community.  This was based on the result conducted after the pilot study.  Findings and recommendations included five steps for the conduct of program development and implementation.  These are problem identification, program planning, resource mobilization, program implementation and operation, and program monitoring and evaluation.  Again, CSOP advocates proactive problem-solving done in a systematic and routine fashion. Rather than being reactive or only responding to crime once it happens.  A tool recommended is the SARA presented in Figure 4.

Seeing the pieces of literature on the impact and outcomes of community policing and community service-oriented policing systems, it is no doubt that this is a remarkable strategy to implement law and order/public safety both in foreign and local settings.  Police officers have big roles to fill in, and the utmost performance is highly expected from them.  Thus, understanding factors that will strengthen the performance of CSOP must be studied and recommended.  One area to consider is the role of police education and training (NAPOLCOM, 2015).

Integration of Community Policing and Community Service-Oriented Policing to Police Education and Training.

According to Spasic, Vuckovic, and Milojevic (2014), “fundamental changes in the way and approach to completing police work in the community such as problem-oriented approach in solving local community problems and developing a relationship with the citizens are impossible to complete without adequate police education”.  In addition, police training and education both have vital roles in the successful conduct and implementation of problem-oriented police activities (Spasic, Vuckovic, and Milojevic (2014).  Higher education among police officers has increased competency in community police education.  Police officers with university education have been found to be more socially aware, multiculturally competent, more aware of problems in the community, have a higher tolerance for minorities, and are more professional and ethical.  Educated police officers have more knowledge of community policing.  They are often referred to as “Humanized Police Officers” and have been known to be good at providing “social services”.  They have been found to be more compassionate and good at communicating with citizens, which are both important dynamics for community policing (Spasic, Vuckovic, and Milojevic

These statements on pieces of literature cited only call that significant predictor of competencies of police officers in community policing and community service-oriented policing is education and training.  Indeed, it can be said that higher education adds value and competence to the way community policing is carried out. Thus, it is high time that degrees and training programs on policing include community policing among its foundations.  Community policing can be integrated into education through its program, structure, and level of education and training that the police officers should complete Spasic, Vuckovic, and Milojevic (2014). 

As stated by Stutt (2018), a curriculum creates and provides a “positive improvements in the courses offered by a school, college or university. The world changes every day and new discoveries have to be roped into the education curricula. Innovative teaching techniques and strategies (such as active learning or blended learning) are constantly being devised in order to improve the student learning experience. As a result, an institution has to have a plan in place for acknowledging these shifts and then be able to implement them in the school curriculum”.  In the curriculum process, the role of educators must always incorporate six components of effective teaching.  These are the demonstration of knowledge content, knowledge of students, instructional strategy goals, knowledge resources, coherent instruction, and assessment of student learning (Stutt, 2018). 

Further, considering curriculum design, one recommended approach is the Problem-centered curriculum.  This focuses on teaching students how to look at a problem and formulate a solution.  This approach exposes students to “real-life issues” and help students develop skill as applied to the real world.  “The problem-centered curriculum design has been shown to increase the relevance of the curriculum and encourages creativity, innovation and collaboration in the classroom. The drawback to this format is that it does not always consider individual learning styles” (Stutt, 2018).

In addition, anchored on Tyler’s Model for curriculum design highlighted the following questions in creating a curriculum such as educational purposes that should be sought and attained by the school, what educational experiences must be provided to attain the purposes, how can the educational experiences be effectively organized, and how can these purposes be attained.  According to Xioapeng Ni (2016), “Ralph Tyler’s model in curriculum design represents as the most classic one for curriculum design and plan of instruction.  The basic principles of curriculum and instruction must answer the following questions: a) what curriculum objectives need to be attained?, b) what learning experiences should be selected to achieve those objectives, c) how can these experiences be effectively organized or sequenced?, and d) How can we determine if the objectives are being reached?  The traditional view of curriculum design is presented Figures 5 also known as the curriculum triangle (Ni, 2016):

Considering police education in the Philippines, the highest Bachelor’s degree preparation to be a police lieutenant is the Bachelor’s Degree in Public Safety (BSPS) provided by the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA).  The mission statement of PNPA is “to provide comprehensive education and training programs to transform cadets into God-centered, community-responsive Public Safety Officers trusted and respected by the people”.  Thishighly recognizes the philosophy of community policing, and one of its manifestations is seen in the BSPS Curriculum.  Yet, to what extent does the BSPS curriculum carry out community policing and community service-oriented policing?  Theorists and advocates on community policing suggested the importance of reforms in police education and training, that “police education and training must adjust to the needs and new demands of the local security environment” Spasic, Vuckovic, & Milojevic (2014).  Wrenn and Wrenn (2009) stated that educational and professional programs must prepare students to become professional practitioners in their fields. It is imperative that students put into practice what they have learned in the classroom. 

Studies on community policing are adequate yet related studies on integrating community policing into police education and training are very limited.  These realities are still good, considering this study will add new findings and knowledge on community policing, specifically community service-oriented policing integrated into public safety education.  The first presented at composed of studies and an unpublished thesis related to community policing.  The latter part will be about integrating community policing into police education and training.

Recently, in 2013, the study of Patrick among African American police officers. The study participants identified by consensus 12 competencies they believed contributed to the effectiveness of an African American municipal police chief. These competencies are defined as knowledge, skills, and abilities that directly and positively impact the success of employees or the organization in a field of study or profession.  Specifically, these competencies are: leading people and leading change, demonstrating human relations skills, communicating effectively with the staff and the community, demonstrating competency in the policing profession, being visionary, having an awareness of community issues, having command-level police management training, intelligent and smart, and culturally competent and can manage diversity (Partick, 2013).

Further, the study by Chavez in 2012 showed the perspectives on community policing social and constructivist analyses.  Chavez discussed that community policing is one of the more significant recent developments in policing, and the notion has been widely discussed and applied worldwide. The study examined the various conceptions as discussed in the literature and in practice, with particular emphasis being given to the role of trust between police and citizens in this context.  The investigation adopts a constructivist and qualitative comparative analysis based on two countries: Mexico and the UK (with two case studies in each country), and with data primarily collected through interviews with samples of police and citizens.  Key findings are that the variety of conceptions about community policing highlights the complex nature of the notion and the many factors shaping its varied practices.  Police assumptions about what constitutes good practice in community policing and what success might look like deserve to be reexamined.  The social constructions that police and citizens hold about community policing provide valuable sources of insight, which challenge some of the conventional understandings regarding policing priorities.  And lastly, trust is a vital ingredient for successful community policing and needs to be based as much on the police trusting citizens and communities as the other way around (Chavez, 2012).

Similarly, Timko (2015) investigated redefining police-community relations.  The findings indicated that a disconnect in accountability and a lack of training standards set among police officers partially contributed to police militarization and the erosion of police-community relations. This study concluded that police-community relations could be improved through increased oversight and the implementation of written policy, improved accountability, and training standards while also minimizing police militarization. 

A different viewpoint, such as in an emergency situation like a pandemic, can have a significant impact on police-community relations and public trust in the police (R. Jones, C. Jones, and C. Cantal, 2020). Major emergencies are extreme team decision-making environments which are complex, dynamic, and high-stakes environments that require not only intra-agency collaboration (e.g. within a police organization) but also coordinated operations on an inter-agency level (e.g. between police, public health organizations, and civil society (Power, N., 2018). In a study conducted by Julian Laufs and Zoha Waseem (2020), it indicated that poor communication and a lack of trust between organizations (e.g. because of competing strategic interests) can delay or impede the necessary collaboration between different agencies. In the context of COVID-19, policing organizations should identify the shortcomings of cooperation and opportunities for joint training and exercises after the pandemic to improve preparedness for future emergencies. Police organizations should actively seek to create interpersonal connections, especially with agencies in the public health sector. Furthermore, inter-agency communication and collaboration may benefit from a national communication infrastructure that facilitates intra- and inter-agency information sharing (J. Laufs and Z. Wasseem, 2020).

Another perspective was that of Bahadir and Erhan (2011).  This study has an interesting view on how police-community relations must be done.  According to Bahadir and Erhan, the last few decades have shifted the police from a force to a service-oriented organization. Community policing is perhaps the most popular and demanded policing method among law enforcement authorities and has been implemented by many countries in recent years. However, implementations of community policing programs have always been problematic.  This study is a modest attempt to demonstrate that this problem requires a public policy approach rather than seeing it as only a criminal justice issue. Using a contingency theory approach, this paper identifies the central premises of a public policy for an effective community-policing program (Bahadir and Erhan, 2011).

In terms of local studies, related topics included are police-community relations.  On September 2013, a study by Lacano showed the capability of the Agusan Del Norte Police provincial office to deliver police services to the community.  Findings showed that the said office was capable regarding personnel, financial aspects, and community relations.  Further, community support and participation are on the list of activities of the police in the barangay and community-oriented policing system. 

Another local study relative to police competencies is the study of Bartolome (2012) on the operational capability of Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office.  The study served as a basis to strengthen the assistance from the local government units regarding manpower, logistics, fund support, and community linkages.  The findings of the study showed that the manpower and logistics capability of the said provincial office was moderately capable, while community linkages were rated highly capable.

In addition, the study of Convento (2014) showed the effectiveness of police-community relations in promoting peace and order in the province of Cavite.  Further, findings showed that police community relations program is highly effective in providing assistance in search and rescue operations but not effective in building civic partnerships. 

Considering the integration of community policing/community service-oriented policing in police education – works of literature have been elusive.  The study of Palmiotto, Birzer, and Unnithan (2000) recommended a curriculum for community policing training.  As stated in their research abstract, “the widespread acceptance of community policing necessitates the need for training of recruits into its philosophy and practices.   Discussions were made on the rationale for the curriculum and included a promising training method that can be used in its implementation” (see suggested curriculum attached at Annex B).

Synthesis and Analysis

The presented pieces of literature highlighted the importance of community policing as a strategy for law enforcement and public safety.  This has been recognized by community theorists and advocates based on observations and reports.  At the same time, studies support the impact and positive outcomes of community policing on law and order and public safety.  Thus, in this sense, community policing as a philosophy & community and service-oriented policing as fundamentals of the Philippine National Police are competencies expected to be possessed and demonstrated among police officers and leadership.  To hone these competencies are the roles that police education and training must provide.  For these reasons, this study was created, developed, and proposed in order to ensure that police education such as the BSPS degree provides the theoretical foundations, experiences, and practices to ensure that its graduates become competent in community policing and live through the Mission of PNPA.

CHAPTER II

METHODOLOGY AND DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES

Research Design

Approaches

The descriptive research design was employed in this research following the mixed methods (quantitative–qualitative) approach.  The study was descriptive and quantitative as it addressed research question number 1, “How extensive is the integration of Community and Service-Oriented Policing in the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum in terms of a) courses offered, b) academic activities, and c) Non-academic activities?”.  Further, this research was qualitative as it answered research question numbers 2 and 3, “How can the integration of Community and Service-Oriented Policing in the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety curriculum be sustained considering the aforementioned variables?”, and “Based on the findings of the study, what recommendations can be given?”, respectively.

Triangulation

The process of triangulation was used in this study to ensure the validity of data using cross-verification from more than two sources.   In this way, consistency of findings may be obtained.  This study used survey questionnaires, key informant interviews, and a review of pieces of literature to gather the data as sources of triangulation.

Data Sources

The coverage of this study started from September 2020 to April 2021.  The population came from PNPA Silang, Cavite, and selected areas in Region 4A.   A purposive sampling technique was used to determine the respondents and participants of the study. This sampling technique was chosen to come up with rich information needed for this study and considering the limited time and situation to conduct the study due to COVID-19 Pandemic.

The main goal of purposive sampling is to focus on the specific characteristics of the respondents and participants, which was the main focus of the study.  To these, considering the variables of the study, first-class cadets, selected alumni, faculty members, and key leaders from PNPA were the respondents and participants of the study.

Sources of Data

This research used two sources of data – primary and secondary.  The primary source referred to data provided by the original source of information about the topic. These are first-hand information and experiences provided by the respondents and participants.    These respondents were the first-class cadets and selected PNPA Alumni who answered the survey questionnaire, while faculty members and key leaders of PNPA were the participants who joined the key informant interview.

On the other hand, a secondary data source is not an original source and has no direct physical connection to the person or event being studied.  These sources came from peer-reviewed articles or scholarly books, including textbooks, encyclopedias, articles, etc. In this research, the secondary data came from pieces of literature like reference materials, reports, PNP manuals, and findings from previous studies, especially community service-oriented policing integrated into police education and training.

Profile of the Respondents

Table 1.  Total Number of Respondents

Table 1 shows the total number of respondents in this study.  A total of 263 respondents joined in this research. 

Table 2.  Respondents’ Profile by Gender

Table 3.  Respondents Profile by Group

Table 4.  Respondents’ Profile by Religious Denomination

Data Collection Method

Data collection is one of the most valuable resources in this research study.  The data collection used in this research followed eight stages.  The first stage was seeking approval of the research proposal.  Once this was done, stage two followed, which was the validation and reliability testing of the research instrument.  Validation through experts was achieved through the help of five (5) experts.  Five subject matter experts checked the content of the research instrument.  Once the accuracy of the research instrument was achieved, reliability testing commenced through a pilot study.  This was done to ensure the internal consistency of the items posted on the research instrument.

Further, stage three focused on acquiring the necessary authorizations and permits to conduct the study.  Permit to conduct the study came from the National Police College, and other entities involved in this study were accomplished too.  Informed consent was given as well. Once these were done, the researchers were ready to gather the study’s needs. 

Moreover, stage four covered actual data gathering.  Stage five covered data collection.  Stage six included data sorting and encoding.  Stage seven focused on data scoring through statistical and thematic analyses.  Lastly, stage eight covered data interpretation, discussion, and report writing.  The gathered quantitative data were statistically analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS), and thematic analysis was used for the qualitative part of the research. Research question 1 was answered through a weighted mean.  Meanwhile, thematic analysis was used to answer research questions 2 and 3.

Modal or Adjectival and Verbal Interpretation

A self-constructed instrument was utilized in this research study based on gathered pieces of literature.  The research instrument underwent content analysis through validation from subject matter experts and reliability testing through a pilot study.  To determine the reliability of the research instrument, the internal consistency of the items was checked through Cronbach’s Alpha.  The obtained score was .951.  This result indicated that all 20 items/indicators at the research instrument were “Excellent” items.  This meant that the items/indicators were accurately stated and clearly understood by the respondents and participants.

Further, the research instrument had three (3) parts. The first part of the instrument described the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of gender, group, and religious denomination. 

The second part of the instrument measured the extent of integration of community service-oriented policing into the BSPS Curriculum.  This had 20 items that used a 5-point Likert Scale, as shown below in Table 5:

In addition, the third part of the instrument qualitatively described how to sustain the integration of community service-oriented policing into the BSPS Curriculum.  This was answered using thematic analysis through key informant interviews.  Data gathered were transcribed.  This was followed by the steps used in Thematic Analysis.  These were familiarizing with the data, checking and assigning codes, searching for patterns or themes from the codes, next is naming and defining the themes, and the last step is the report writing of themes.

Chapter III

Findings and Analysis

This chapter presents the findings, analyses, interpretation, discussion, and implications of the data gathered.  The order of presentation follows the sequence of the sub-problems shown in Chapter 1.  All these were supported by related literature and studies done by previous researchers. 

Extent of Integration of Community and Service-Oriented Policing (CSOP) in the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety (BSPS) Curriculum

To answer research question number 1, “How extensive is the integration of Community and Service-Oriented Policing in the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum in terms of courses offered, academic activities, and non-academic activities?” weighted mean was used.   Findings are presented in Tables 6, 7, and 8.

Table 6. Mean Scores on Extent of Integration of Community and Service-Oriented Policing   in the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum in Terms of Courses Offered

The findings in Table 6 showed the respondents’ perception of integrating Community Service-Oriented Policing (CSOP) into the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety (BSPS) Curriculum.  The overall results showed a grand mean score of 3.21, indicating that the degree of implementation of CSOP to the BSPS Curriculum in terms of courses offered is only to a “Moderate Extent”.   This finding is further explained in indicator numbers 4 and 2, having the highest and lowest mean scores, respectively.  Indicator numbers 5, 3, 6, and 1 are also presented. 

Indicator number 4 got the highest mean score of 3.57, highlighting that the respondents agreed to a “Moderate Extent” that “The Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum major courses instill the values of collaboration and cooperation”.  At the same time, indicator number 2 got the lowest mean score 2.81 showing that the respondents agreed to a “Moderate Extent” that “Each police course of the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum has community policing elements”.

Moreover, indicator number 5 got a mean score of 3.37.  This shows that to a “Moderate Extent,” the “The Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum police major courses teach cadets how to work with the community to identify community problems”.   Further, indicator number 3 got a mean score of 3.37 as well.  This shows that to a “Moderate Extent,” “PNPA provides learning experiences to develop cadets to be community responsive”. 

Indicator number 6 got a mean score of 3.30.  This shows that “The Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum teaches cadets how to work with the community to solve community problems” only to a “Moderate Extent”.  Lastly, indicator number 1 got a mean score of 2.89.  This shows that “Community policing is integrated as a core course in the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum” only to a “Moderate Extent”. 

These findings show that the principle and competencies of CSOP are integrated into the BSPS Curriculum considering the courses offered.  However, this integration is not to a full degree established.  CSOP is only somewhat more or less incorporated into the courses offered under the BSPS Curriculum.  Categorically, at some point, CSOP, such as its value of working with the community through collaboration and cooperation to prevent and control crimes, may not be completely or equally included in the courses and lessons covered under BSPS Curriculum.  This could be due to the fact that CSOP is not offered as a separate course under the BSPS Curriculum.

The moderate extent of integration of CSOP into the BSPS Curriculum, considering the courses offered, may lead to many implications.  First, the implication of the findings may lead PNPA as a higher educational institution on law enforcement, public safety, and police to be out of line with the mandates founded on the philosophy of community policing, such as the Philippine Constitution, existing laws on RA 8551, and NAPOLCOM Resolution 2016-09.  This may lead to the CSOP Model as a modern policing function not being a priority in the BSPS Curriculum.  Having seen this leads to the second implication affecting the competencies of the cadets on CSOP due to the misalignment of courses provided under the BSPS Curriculum.   In this case, there will be a poor foundation for the learning of the cadets on community policing and specifically CSOP.  In this sense, PNPA may fail to meet the competency expectations set among its graduates as community proactive law enforcers.  PNPA graduates may remain inclined to a Problem-Oriented Policing/Community Oriented Policing System (COPS) or Traditional Policing, which will not fully address the different challenges in the community in modern times, particularly in terms of peace development and sustainability. 

Table 7. Mean Scores on Extent of Integration of Community and Service – Oriented Policing  in the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum in Terms of Academic Activities

The findings in Table 7 showed the perception of the respondents on the integration of Community Service-Oriented Policing (CSOP) into the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety (BSPS) Curriculum.  The overall results showed a grand mean score of 2.86, indicating that the degree of implementation of CSOP to the BSPS Curriculum in terms of academic activities is only to a “Moderate Extent”.   This finding is further explained in indicator numbers 5 and 1, having the highest and lowest mean scores, respectively.  Indicator numbers 7, 2, 4, 3, and 6 are also presented. 

Indicator number 5 got the highest mean score of 3.37, highlighting that the respondents agreed to a “Moderate Extent” that “PNPA provides cadets seminars on Community and Service-Oriented Policing”.  However, indicator number 1 got the lowest mean score of 2.35, showing that the respondents agreed to a “Moderate Extent” that “The Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum has a comprehensive community immersion program”.

Moreover, indicator number 7 got a mean score of 3.13.  This shows that to a “Moderate Extent,” “PNPA Cadets are encouraged to join career clubs”.   Further, indicator number 2 got a mean score of 3.02.  This shows that to a “Moderate Extent”, “The Cadet Attachment Program highlights Community and Service-Oriented Policing”.  Indicator number 4 got a mean score of 2.98.  This shows that “Community and Service-Oriented Policing is included as research agenda/theses of cadets” but only to a “Moderate Extent” too.

Further, indicator number 3 got a mean score of 2.74.  This shows that the “PNPA Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum engages cadets to conduct community extension services” only to a “Moderate Extent”.  Lastly, indicator number 6 got a mean score of 2.46.  This shows that “PNPA Cadets are affiliated to community groups such as significant non-government organizations (NGOs)” only to a “Moderate Extent”.

The overall findings show that the principle and competencies of CSOP are integrated into the BSPS Curriculum considering academic activities.  But, just like the earlier results, this integration is not to a full degree.  CSOP is only somewhat incorporated into the academic activities under the BSPS Curriculum.  Integration of CSOP into the academic activities of the BSPS Curriculum is limited and can sometimes be seen only through seminars.  Further, an important integration of CSOP into the BSPS Curriculum is an in-depth immersion in the community.  Yet, this least happens.  Again, as stated earlier, this could be due to the fact that CSOP is not offered as a separate course under the BSPS Curriculum.

These results may lead to negative implications.  First, the learning experiences of cadets on CSOP will be limited to classroom learning only.  Cadets will have no concrete learning tools for a comprehensive and well-defined, efficient, and sustainable community immersion principle in order to give a real taste of the CSOP among the cadets.  This, in turn, will “short-change” the competencies expected among PNPA Graduates.  Seeing these now lead to the second implication, where competencies of cadets in modern policing become incomplete.  Modern policing requires expertise in using systematic problem-solving techniques, filling the gaps in policies deficiencies considering and effective communication strategy to address local development concerns through a system of program complementation and resource sharing which the cadets should learn inside premises of the classroom.  With poor community immersion, PNPA graduates will not be aware on how to utilize and implement legal and organizational mandates involving the local government units and significant stakeholders of the community relevant to addressing local development concerns.     All these competencies can be best learned through direct immersion in the community.

Table 8. Mean Scores on Extent of Integration of Community and Service – Oriented Policing  in the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum in Terms of Non-Academic Activities

The findings at Table 8 showed the perception of the respondents on the integration of Community Service-Oriented Policing (CSOP) to the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety (BSPS) Curriculum.  The overall results showed a grand mean score of 2.57 indicating that the degree of implementation of CSOP to the BSPS Curriculum in terms of non-academic activities is to a “Least Extent” only.   This finding is further explained in indicator numbers 2 and 5 having the highest and lowest mean scores, respectively.  Indicator numbers 3, 1, 7, 6, and 4 are presented as well.

Indicator number 2 got the highest mean score of 2.99 highlighting that the respondents agreed to a “Moderate Extent” that “The cadets at PNPA participate in community caused-oriented activities”.  However, indicator number 5, having the lowest mean score of 2.11, showed that the respondents agreed that “Non-academic activities of PNPA Cadets include actual observations on the conduct of community-council meetings such as the Peace and Order Council and PNP/PGS Advisory Councils” is to a “Least Extent” only.

Moreover, indicator number 3 got a mean score of 2.95.  This shows that to a “Moderate Extent,” “The cadets at PNPA conduct community caused-oriented activities”.   Further, indicator number 1 got a mean score of 2.62.  This shows that to a “Moderate Extent,” “The leadership courses of cadets include community immersion program”.  However, indicator number 7 got a mean score of 2.47.  This shows that “PNPA non-academic activities conduct programs to promote values of inclusivity/respect/equal chance among those who are considered special population such as the LGBTs, PWDs, Senior Citizens, IPs, Urban Poor” to a “Least Extent” only.

Further, indicator number 6 got a mean score of 2.43.  This shows that “Non-academic activities of PNPA include seminars to enrich understanding/awareness on inclusivity/special population are only done in a “Least Extent”.  Lastly, indicator number 4 got a mean score of 2.43.  This shows that “The cadets are given “table-top and or simulation exercises on peace and order council meetings” to a “Least Extent” only as well.

The overall findings show that the principle and competencies of CSOP are poorly integrated into the BSPS Curriculum considering non-academic activities and is considered a learning gap.  The cadets have limited activities and seminars to enrich their understanding of inclusivity.  They are not well exposed to understanding and engaging with the special population as these are not part of Cadet Corps activities.  At the same time, cadets are not well exposed to the mechanics of peace and order council meetings because they don’t have simulation exercises and observation activities on the actual conduct of community council meetings which are considered basic knowledge expected among Chief of Police.

Further, integration of CSOP into non-academic activities is only seen through community-caused oriented activities such as gift-giving during the Christmas season, “Brigada Eskwela”, and blood donation.  These are community outreach activities but may not be considered completely to integrate CSOP.  Emphasis on CSOP activities can be integrated by providing programs that will promote CSOP, such as community-council meetings, the Peace and Order Council; the Anti-Drug Abuse Council; the Local Council for the Protection of Children; PNP/PGS Advisory Councils; and the promotion of values of a good relationship, inclusivity, and respect.

These results may lead to negative implications for the competencies of graduates.  Poor learning of the philosophy and principles of CSOP may lead graduates to go out from the portals of the academy with a lacking knowledge.  CSOP is supposedly learned and applied by heart among cadets as they will be assigned in their future respective assignments, be it a para-military national operational support unit (like the SAF) or any unit of the PNP for that matter.  Having a strong foundation in CSOP may lessen the military mentality in the field, as this is a hindrance to be a more effective public safety officer.  Poor knowledge of the CSOP concept may lead to a less appreciation of the police-community partnership.  The police’s work is right at the center of the people.  This is done permanently, 24/7, 7 days a week.  These individuals or stakeholders come from all walks of life.  They are mixed people in the community, that a police leader should maintain collaboration and cooperation. Without winning their trust, the police, public safety, and law enforcement will fail.  For a fresh graduate from PNPA who failed to learn the teachings of CSOP and how these work in his/her assignment, learning will be achieved the hard way.  Non-academics of the BSPS Curriculum, such as Tactics, are also important, but policing is not all about combat maneuvers and expertise in using firearms.  Policing is a more complicated critical thinking and sustained effective police-community relationship.  Lastly, poor knowledge on CSOP in the non-academic activities of the BSPS Curriculum may learn in having graduates who are unaware or confused of his/her policing mandate and implementing anti-crime solutions in the field contrary to the community’s needs.

These findings are supported by works of literature coming from the field of education and police training as well.  Considering the integration of CSOP into the BSPS Curriculum in terms of courses offered, Spasic, Vuckovic, & Milojevic (2014) stressed that community policing is integral to police education and training.   This has been recognized as an important tool in crime prevention and control.  Recommendations given by Spasic, Vuckovic, & Milojevic (2014) highlighted the role of police education and training curriculum police cadets and recruits received.  The conduct of successful community policing can be achieved when there is proper training and education.  This must be included in police education and training programs, structure, and the level of education and training police officers should complete Spasic, Vuckovic, & Milojevic (2014). 

Thus, the concept of “Community Engaged Training” was recommended among police academies.  This approach was done to boost and strengthen police education among recruits on community policing.  Cadets and recruits are exposed to the community – residents served by police departments.  Here, they learned the values of diversity, transparency, and legitimacy. In this approach, police training students gain more understanding of community policing, which is considered the fundamental character of every police department.  In this way, the curriculum on community policing is reinforced (Kringen and Kringen, 2017).  

Further, through community engagement training, police recruits learn social interaction.  According to (Palmiotto, Birzer, & Unnithan, 2000), “those recruits who underwent community engagement training grasped deeply the meaning of and context for community-oriented policing are more likely to implement it” (as cited by Kringen and Kringen (2017).  Moreover, this also had a reciprocal effect.  Community members who were part of the “Community Engagement Training” demonstrated positive consequences, such as the interaction of the citizens toward the police had been positive.

Sustainability of Community and Service-Oriented Policing in the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum

To answer research question number 2, “How can the integration of Community and Service-Oriented Policing in the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety curriculum be sustained considering the aforementioned variables”? thematic analysis was used.  Three themes yielded and reached the point of saturation.  These are offering of CSOP Courses and incorporating CSOP into all other courses, immersing cadets in the community, and lastly, having a monitoring system.  All these are presented respectively.  Findings from the respondents were validated by selected PNPA Alumni and Key Leaders; and literature support.  Thus, triangulation of the findings was achieved.

A. Offering of Courses on CSOP and Incorporating CSOP into All Other Courses in the BSPS Curriculum

These findings were based on ten (10) key informant interviews.  Based on the key informant interview conducted among all (5) five participants, the first way to sustain the integration of CSOP into the BSPS Curriculum is through offering such and incorporating CSOP into all other courses under the BSPS Curriculum.  Specifically, CSOP must be offered and distributed from the first-year to fourth-year levels.   At the same time, adding CSOP to the Cadet Attachment Program (CAP) and providing seminars and workshops on CSOP are approaches to help sustain the integration of CSOP into the BSPS Curriculum.  Further, these findings were validated by (5) subject matter experts.  Summing up the words of the participants:

Participants 1 and 2 agreed:

Include programs and subjects that will help the cadets to have skills pertaining to CSOP.  Every semester there should be a subject on CSOP.  An additional subject that focuses on the CSOP principle.  PNPA should make CSOP a pone subject of the curriculum.  CSOP should be introduced and must be under its curriculum.  Include this subject matter in the CAP of graduating cadets.  We should include the underclass/cadets that the civilian in the character of the PNP is the native of policing. We are law enforcers and not military, therefore we should eradicate the military mindset of the cadets.  We need to keep in mind that the solution to the problem of insurgency is not warfare but by using Community relations, as part of proactive police activities.

Participants 3 and 4 agreed:

Since PNPA is under the PNP, CSOP must be a mandatory subject given to all classes to sustain and maintain its integrity throughout the courses offered.    Academic subjects that rare not important should be changed to subjects that would really help the cadets in becoming whole rounded officers.  It should be a mandatory subject in academics.   Make it a part of the academic subject given emphasis in the academic activities.  I would suggest conducting activities allowing cadets to apply CSOP in every subject learned from academics.  Integrate CSOP from 4th class to 1st class subject.  Include in the cadet attachment program.  Seminars and workshops on CSOP must be provided.  Tabletop exercises must be done, and special topics on the community.

Participant 5 said:

We need to keep in mind that the solution to the problem of insurgency is not warfare but by using Community relations as part of proactive police activities.  The academy needs more subjects and activities pertaining to CSOP. Honesty speaking, most of the graduates of our institution are allowed to be a warrior and not a public servants. I’m not saying we should stop our defensive/offensive gameplay (use of military approach) but rather prioritize what is important to be a public servant.  Giving it importance and showing them the positive effects it has on the organization.

Participants 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 all agreed:

Two courses of community policing starting for 3rd Class cadets and another course for 2nd Class cadets. All activities must incorporate into the cadet attachment program for 1st Class cadets or graduating cadets. Seminars and cascading of best practices in community policing are needed.  To strengthen law enforcement capabilities and enhance the welfare and benefits of each person and their dependents, we should start CSOP related courses in the curriculum. If permitted, every academic year must have a CSOP-related course to improve the quality of police and other law enforcement service.  Introduce CSOP early to cadets.  Series of seminars on CSOP be conducted. Creation of a Section or unit to oversee CSOP. Assign officers knowledgeable about CSOP to the Corp of Professors.  Series of teach-in seminars to the cadets as well as tactics group. Integrate during their CAP. CSOP should be the cadets’ way of life thru a series of indoctrinations. Integrate into their LCD non-acad subjects from the 1st-4th year.  Frequently conducts programs for special populations and sustains actual observations of cadets on the conduct of community meetings.

 B. Community Immersion

These findings were based on ten (10) key informant interviews.  Based on the key informant interview conducted among all (5) five participants, the second way to sustain the integration of CSOP into the BSPS Curriculum is through community immersion.  The immersion experience will materialize the learnings from the classroom giving cadets an in-depth understanding and appreciation of CSOP.  Further, these findings were validated by (5) subject matter experts.  Summing up the words of the participants:

Participant 1 said:

Have a real-time immersion outside for the cadets to learn how to engage in different community service-oriented activities.  Cadets should give a chance to witness the real situation in community policing to discover the techniques and strategies that are the first things to do and the SOP in handling situations.  Happy programs should be conducted outside, not just in relief goods distribution or during activities.

Participant 2 said:

Ensuring that CSOP is one of the foundations of public safety and consistently engaging cadets in community service activity.  Cadets must be involved in community service as a practice or training for their future work.  Conduct CSOP activities like actual immersion and case base scenarios to provide actual results and solutions.

Participant 3 said:

Have the cadets be fully immersed in community recognition.  CSOP activities and engagement should be included and given priority.  Conduct physical immersion outside the academy.  By developing more programs that will promote sound relations with the community.  Formulation of simulation exercises promoting CSOP as the main objective. 

Participant 4 said:

Upon teaching CSOP based courses, let the cadets have immersion outside for its application.  There must be a subject about CSOP in the curriculum and engage the cadets in community immersion.  By having the academic group have an OJT on CSOP as a part of the curriculum upon recognition.  Conduct academics-related activities about CSOP, but for me, it must be actual learning; cadets must experience this outside the camp. 

Participant 5 said:

Ensure that it is not all from theories but from actual scenarios that happen within society.  Let the cadets feel that the work after graduation outside should be community-service-oriented poling by giving different activities that will enhance their skills in engaging in the community as public safety officers.  Formally include CSOP in the BSPS curriculum there must be activities that involve cadets in the community and engaged in community services.  My suggestion is to allow cadets to fully immerse themselves in the community upon recognition of the upper cadets.  It must be maintained through constant immersion in the community.  They must give more activities like immersion programs in the community so that cadets are able to adopt this kind of feeling when they graduate. 

These responses were all validated by subject matter experts composed of police officers and leaders who were both exposed to Community Service-Oriented Policing and BSPS Education administration.  Summing up the words of the participants:

Participants 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 all agreed:

More outside engagements for students.  Real-life experience outside and longer CAP engagements.  Conduct more activities that will strengthen the relationship of the cadets to the community and affiliation with many NGOs.  More outside engagements for cadets relating to CSOP.  Frequently conducts programs for special populations and sustains actual observations of cadets on the conduct of community meetings.  Be active in conversing with the community. 

Monitoring System

These findings were based on ten (10) key informant interviews.  Based on the key informant interview conducted among all (5) five participants, the third way to sustain the integration of CSOP into the BSPS Curriculum is through building a strong and established monitoring system.  This can be done by strengthening the curriculum, creating policies and effectively implementing such, and ensuring to have competent faculty members teach CSOP courses.  Further, these findings were validated by (5) subject matter experts.  Summing up the words of the participants:

Participants 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 all agreed:

For CSOP to stay strong in the curriculum, the BSPS Curriculum must have a set of standards to follow.  This should not be easily changed by leadership change or because Dean does not like it.  Despite changes in leadership, don’t change the established curriculum.  More so, this can be done by creating policies and effective implementation through the Academic Board and ensuring that the professors are specialists in CSOP.

These responses were all validated by subject matter experts composed of police officers and leaders who were bought exposed to Community Service-Oriented Policing and BSPS Education administration.  Summing up the words of the participants:

Participants 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 all agreed:

There should be continuous monitoring of courses incorporated with CSOP.  Regular assessment for its effectiveness.  Assessed and work on the assessment gaps for improvement.  Constant monitoring of CSOP-integrated academic activities and annual evaluation of the program’s effectiveness.  Assess its effectiveness.  Constantly monitor if objectives and goals are met.  Constant monitoring and evaluation.  There should be a team designated for the assessment of the integration.  Benchmarking should be done to have an outlook on the concept.  At the same time, the issuance of NAPOLCOM Resolution and creation of “Community and Development Division” should be created to oversee the sustenance of such a program.  Organizational transformation.  PNPA should align with PNP plans and programs.  More importantly, the designation of key officers in the academics and tactics with full grasp and wide knowledge and experience on CSOP and assigning officers and tactical officers who are the complete package – SAF trained and COPs for at least 2 localities will help to ensure that CSOP is integrated at the BSPS Curriculum.

These results imply the important offices and roles that the leadership in the BSPS education and training must take.  The sustainability of integrating CSOP into the BSPS Curriculum is highly dependent on the key academic offices, such as the curriculum and faculty sections.  The curriculum section must ensure that the courses offered are based on established standards and functions of the BSPS graduates.  At the same time, the faculty and instruction section must highlight and give importance to ensuring that faculty members are well-founded on CSOP.  Instruction must give emphasis as well on actual cases and community immersion.  In these ways, outcomes-based education may be achieved.  Lastly, an important implication of these findings is the role of academic policies and ensuring their effective implementation. Policies must be created and updated to ensure that CSOP and other important police functions are integrated into the BSPS Curriculum.  Failure to do these may lead to negative consequences such as poor competencies among graduates.  Thus, when this happens, the mission and vision for which PNPA is founded will fail.

These findings and implications are strongly supported by pieces of literature as well.  According to Nyoni and Botma (2015), “higher education institutions may face many challenges.  One way of addressing this is strengthening curriculum by engaging in “planned curriculum change”.   This will require effective strategies. 

In the words of Nyoni and Botma (2015), “Faculty development and involvement, planning, and funding, quality assurance, student involvement, and leadership reinforced the strategies used to sustain planned curriculum change”.  This statement points out that as there is truth in that curriculum has to develop due to the demands brought in education and in the workplace, it is important that “planned curriculum change” be done.  In this way, the values and competencies needed to stay and be strengthened will be sustained.

Further, this was the main purpose stated in Tyler’s Model of Curriculum Development.  Curriculum development for any particular project or course must identify what educational purposes should the school seek to attain, the educational experiences that can be provided that are likely to attain the purposes to be obtained, and ways on how these educational experiences can be effectively organized; and lastly are to identify the ways these purposes be determined and attained. 

CHAPTER IV

ACTION PLAN

I. Rationale and Intents

The philosophy of community policing has been greatly recognized as a significant crime prevention tool.  Works of literature state their relevance.  As stated by Sir Robert Peel “the ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval of police existence, actions, behavior and the ability of the police to secure and maintain public respect”.  Further, in the words of Kringen and Kringen (2017), “transparency, re-establish legitimacy, and to always improve strained community relations” all play an important role in law enforcement and public safety.  Community policing works when collaboration exists between the community and the police.  Both groups focus on preventing, analyzing and solving challenges and problems the community faces.  In this way, both the community members and the police are guardians of law and order; and work together to address safety and security in their own neighborhoods.  In this manner, the police give support and resources to help to solve problems and better lives in the community.  All these can only be achieved when the police have earned the trust of the people (European Union External Action EUPOL COPPS, 2016). 

The contextualization of community policing in the Philippines is seen through Community and Service-Oriented Policing (CSOP).  This is a major and core police QUAD Function of the Philippine National Police (PNP) (PNP Police Community Relations Manual, 2012).  At the same time, CSOP was born in 2015 by the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) when it issued Resolution No. 2015-342.  This was entitled “Resolution to empower the Philippine National Police (PNP) to perform its role as a community and service-oriented agency through the adoption of the Community and Service-Oriented Policing (CSOP) system involving the Local Executives, the PNP, and the Community, as mandated by law under section 2 of R.A. 6975, as amended by R.A. 8551 and the Philippine Constitution as well.

Literatures stated efforts on strengthening and reinforcing community policing and CSOP.  One of the ways to achieve this is by integrating community policing and CSOP in police education and training.  The conduct of successful community policing cannot be materialized without gaining proper training and education.  Community policing must be included in police education and training programs, structure, and the level of education and training police officers should complete (Spasic, Vuckovic, & Milojevic 2014). 

However, discrepancies were identified between what is learned in the academy and in the field about community policing.  In the words of  Hundersmarck (n.d), “There is disparity between the way recruits learn in the academy and the way they learn in the field, and limitations of lecture-based training on community policing in the academy might explain why recruits fail to identify with the material when it is taught this way”  (as cited by Kringen and Kringen (2017).  Thus, in this sense, it is important that community policing is integrated in police education and training.

In the Philippines, the higher education responsible in producing competent police officers in community policing and CSOP is the Philippine National Police Academy and its Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum.  Founded on the Vision and Mission, “By the Grace of God in 2030, the PNPA shall be the premier educational institution, molding professional and community service-oriented public safety leaders in South East Asia” and “To provide comprehensive education and training programs to transform cadets into God-centered, community-responsive Public Safety Officers trusted and respected by the people”, respectively.  Both of these recognize the importance of being competent both in community policing and CSOP.  Having all these, it is vital that CSOP is highly integrated to the BSPS Curriculum.  In this way, it can be assured that competencies in community policing and CSOP will be founded among the BSPS graduates.  To these, this action plan is created and recommended.

II. Outcome/s or Change/s

This action plan may help reach the following outcomes or changes:

1. Identify strategies and steps on how CSOP can be integrated at the BSPS Curriculum.
2. Identify key players, offices/directorates of the PNP, bureaus under the DILG on the integration of CSOP to the BSPS Curriculum.
3. Ensure that the BSPS Curriculum is up to date considering the CSOP functions cadets need to learn.
4. Ensure that CSOP is sustained at the BSPS Curriculum.
5. Guarantee that the BSPS Curriculum upholds the PNP and PNPA mandates, Vision, and Mission; and all other relevant laws such as RA 6975 as amended by RA 8551 and NAPOLCOM Resolution 2015-342.

II. Strategies and Actions

The strategies that this action plan will do involve three stages.  The first stage involves relaying the intent and objectives of this action plan to the key players at the BSPS education and relaying results to the PNP-DHRDD and the NAPOLCOM.  Under the BSPS education, key players are those in the Academic Group starting from the Office of the Dean, to the Curriculum Section, Faculty Section, and the different Department Heads.  These key players at the PNP-DHRDD and NAPOLCOM are needed as they can help release memorandum orders, resolutions, and mandates relevant to integrating CSOP into the BSPS Curriculum.  At the same time, all these key players are vital in the execution of this action plan.  Once this is done, the second stage will follow.

The second stage is to relay the result of this study to the key players stated above.  These recommendations are the following:

1. Review, evaluate, and update the BSPS Curriculum and identify the CSOP courses offered.  CSOP courses must be well distributed in all levels of the BSPS Curriculum and, at the same time, incorporated into all other courses (academic and non-academic).
2. Provide the cadets with seminars and workshops about CSOP and working well with the community.
3. Highlight CSOP at the Cadet Attachment Program.
4. Encourage and affiliate cadets to participate in community activities and non-government organizations.
5. In terms of non-academic activities, it is important that activities on community-caused oriented programs must be provided among the cadets.  The non-academic activities must promote values of “inclusivity/respect/equal chance” among those who are considered special populations (LGBTs, PWDs, Senior Citizens, IPs, Urban Poor) and enrich understanding/awareness on “inclusivity/special population”. 
6. Provide cadets “tabletop” and or simulation exercises on peace and order council meetings.
7. Actual series of observations on conducting community-council meetings such as the Peace and Order Council, Anti-Drug Abuse Council, Local Council for the Protection of Children, and PNP/PGS Advisory Councils. These can be done thru MOU or a MOA with class C and A Municipalities and a City component.
8. Establish a community engagement program and research in the BSPS Curriculum where cadets can practice all learnings on community policing and CSOP.  Also, establish a community extension services program where all PNPA Personnel and Cadets will be involved.
9. Through the Curriculum Section, an annual assessment regarding the BSPS Curriculum must be done.  This ensures that the competencies expected among BSPS graduates are met in the curriculum.  Quarterly meetings can be done to discuss the progress of the CSOP courses and activities.
10. Evaluate the qualifications standards set for PNPA Faculty Members teaching CSOP courses.  It is vital that faculty members are strongly founded, experienced, and advocates of community policing and CSOP.
11. Create policies, programs, and requests for resolution from NAPOLCOK to ensure that the integration of CSOP at the BSPS Curriculum is sustained.

The last stage of this action plan is to relay this message to all police training institutions in the Philippines.   This is done to ensure that community policing and CSOP are highlighted and advocated among recruits.  In this way, CSOP will be strengthened and reinforced leading to more competent and confident PNP officers, both commissioned and non-commissioned officers. 

IV. Timeline

This action plan will be implemented immediately on June to July 2021.  This time period was selected considering that this is the academic preparatory time for the entire school year.

V. Resources

1. Persons-in-charge.  The people who will be responsible for realizing this action plan are the researchers, the BSPS education leadership through the Office of the Dean, the Curriculum Section, the Faculty Section, Department Heads, and the Plans, Programs, and Strategy Management Division.
2. Other Resource Requirements.   Logistics and funds are crucial resources needed in this action plan.  The logistical requirements for the proposed action plan will involve education and training materials such as laptops, projectors, printers, office supplies, learning aids, and other learning resources.  Funding will come from MOOE and the annual office budget for plans.

VI. Monitoring and Evaluation

This action plan will be monitored by the office of the Dean and Curriculum Section. Monitoring will start by checking the success indicators.  This includes actions taken.  In terms of evaluation – effectiveness, efficiency, positive impact, and pertinence of the programs implemented will be the basis of evaluation.  At the same time, the following study can be done again using the research instrument of this study.

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Conclusion

The philosophy of community policing has been recognized as a significant tool for crime prevention.  In this perspective, many efforts are done to strengthen and reinforce community policing.  According to the literatures, one of the best ways to do this is to integrate community policing into police education and training.  In the Philippines, the established application of community policing is seen through Community and Service-Oriented Policing or “CSOP”.   This is considered a core and major function of the police service.  Thus, it is expected that police officers have CSOP as a strong competency.  It is for these reasons that CSOP must be strongly integrated into police education and training, such as that in the Bachelor of Science in Public Safety (BSPS) degree, to ensure that graduates are competent in CSOP.  This research study concludes that BSPS Cadets believed that CSOP must be integrated in the BSPS Curriculum.  However, the extent of integration is only to a moderate degree considering the courses offered and academic activities.  They also believed that in terms of non-academic activities, CSOP is only to the least extent integrated.

Further, the integration of CSOP to the BSPS Curriculum can be done and sustained in three important ways such as through the courses offered, community immersion, and having an effective monitoring system through the Curriculum Section, Faculty Section, and Policies provided and implemented. 

Considering the monitoring system, the Curriculum Section has a very important role.  Through its efforts, the Curriculum Section can ensure that the BSPS Curriculum follows a set of standards needed to police functions such as that of CSOP.  It is also their task to monitor and yearly assess the applicability and usefulness of courses offered and academic activities taken; to see that CSOP courses are equally distributed and integrated into all the courses offered in the BSPS Curriculum. 

At the same time, the Faculty Section has a great role.  Strong integration of CSOP and sustaining it in the BSPS Curriculum requires competent faculty members teaching and mentoring BSPS Cadets about CSOP.  Lastly, educational leadership in the BSPS Degree must provide strong policies and effective implementation.  All these are the foundation to integrate and sustain CSOP into the BSPS Curriculum.

Recommendations

Incorporating the summary of findings and conclusions of this study, the following recommendations were drawn:

The first recommendation of this research pertains to the BSPS Curriculum.  The findings of this study recommend that the BSPS Curriculum be evaluated and updated.  These need to be done to ensure that CSOP is, to a great extent, integrated into the BSPS Curriculum.  Community policing philosophy and CSOP courses must be offered and equally distributed to all curriculum levels.  The Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Curriculum police major courses must teach cadets how to work with the community to identify community problems.  Importantly, each police course and academic activity of the BSPS has community policing and CSOP elements.  Further, academic activities that can strengthen CSOP in the BSPS Curriculum can be done through the conduct of seminars on Community and Service-Oriented Policing, encouraging cadets to join career clubs, highlighting CSOP at the Cadet Attachment Program, making CSOP one of the research agenda, involve cadets to community extension services, and affiliate cadets to community groups and non-government organizations.

Further, considering the integration of CSOP at the non-academic activities of the BSPS Curriculum, recommendations were as well drawn.  Activities and participation of cadets in community-caused-oriented programs must be done.  This must not be limited to gift giving and feeding program only but rather an established and strong program.  Ways to achieve this are by ensuring that non-academic courses such as leadership be embedded on CSOP and community immersion as well.  At the same time, non-academic activities conduct programs must promote values of “inclusivity/respect/equal chance” among those who are considered special population (LGBTs, PWDs, Senior Citizens, IPs, Urban Poor) and enrich understanding/awareness on “inclusivity/special population”.  Further, it is important that cadets not only are given “table-top and or simulation exercises but also cadets are set to an actual immersion program to peace and order council meetings and include real observations on the conduct of community-council meetings such as the Peace and Order Council (POC), Anti-Drug Abuse Council (ADAC), Local Council for the Protection of Children (LCPC)  and PNP/PGS Advisory Councils in a class C, B and A municipalities and one city category to fully enrich their learning process on LGU-Police-Community collaboration and partnership in solving current community issues and crime problems.

The second recommendation drawn in this research pertains to the sustainability of CSOP’s integration to the BSPS Curriculum.  This can be achieved by ensuring that CSOP courses are equally distributed and that community immersion is well established.  Most importantly, there must be a strong monitoring system to ensure that CSOP is greatly integrated to the BSPS Curriculum.  Efforts to do these are through continuous evaluation and updates on the curriculum, qualifications of faculty members, and creation and implementation of policies and resolution/s by NAPOLCOM to integrate CSOP at the BSPS Curriculum.  At this level, the Curriculum Section, Faculty Section, and Academic Leadership all have an important role to ensure that CSOP as a police function is highly integrated at the BSPS Curriculum. A NAPOLCOM resolution to integrate CSOP in higher learnings like PNPA, Police Training Schools and PNP-DHRDD who offers specialize courses is needed to supplement NAPOLCOM resolutions 2015-003, 2015-342 and 2017-005.

The last recommendation drawn in this study refers to the body of research.  The results of this research recommend that future researchers study other variables that were not covered in this research, such as the limitations involved in this study.

Researchers: PLTCOL Byron Filog Allatog; PLTCOL Melvin Labuca Laguros and PLTCOL Basman Aranton Macarangal Jr

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