Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team as a Mechanism of Philippine National Police in Crime Prevention

The community oriented policing system of the Philippine National Police (PNP) has gone a long way towards providing proactive police services to the citizens. However, a continuous effort to improve the delivery of these services must be implemented as peace and order and public safety concerns are constantly evolving. The Barangay Peacekeeping Operations (BPO) and its implementors, the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams (BPAT) are examples that the PNP does not stop at giving our countrymen the best possible policing system. (BPAT Manual). The study conducted among selected barangay in Lucena City such a Brgy. Ibabang Dupay, Brgy. Market View, Brgy. Cotta and Bgry. Gulang-Gulang. The researchers choose those barangays because they have established members of BPATs and recognized its role in terms of crime prevention in their respective barangay. The 1987 Philippine Constitution, particularly in the Declaration of Principles and State Policies, states that the prime duty of the government is to serve and protect the people. The Government may call upon the people to defend the state and all citizens may be required, under conditions provided by law, to render personal, military or civil service. Based on that provision of Philippine Constitution, the Philippine National Police recognizes the important role of Barangay Tanods and Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team being considered as force multipliers in fight against criminality. They serve as the eyes and ears of all law enforcement agencies in terms of information gathering and dissemination in their respective area of jurisdiction. With the implementation of the JIRR as provided by EO 546, the PNP will have an active role in ISO. Complementing the AFP Strategy of Shape-Clear-Hold-Support, the BPAT as the sectoral equivalent of the CTM will limit if not prevent the access of the insurgents to cleared barangays. In the support phase, the BPAT will metamorphose into an effective neighborhood security and public safety organization supporting the consolidation and development activities of the civil government. As such, it will perform not only crime prevention functions but also implement anti-insurgency, disaster mitigation and community assistance programs. Moreover, this organization shall foster closer relationship between law enforcers and the general public to enhance the credibility of the PNP and promote wide public acceptance of BPAT. This is part of the effort to assimilate the police organization into the community itself, thus epitomizing the adage, “The community is the police and the police is the community”. (BPAT Manual) BPAT’s is the operating arm of the Barangay Peacekeeping Operations (BPO), a mechanism anchored on the principle of community-oriented policing. The goal of BPO and BPAT is clear, that is, "To strengthen the community and foster a collaborative partnership with the local authorities."Through BPO and BPAT, the community is provided with "The opportunity to organize themselves, restore social networks, and most importantly, to convey concerns to local police and government officials". The fundamental principle underlying this policing approach is that crime prevention and solution is everybody's business. It needs the participation of the community specifically barangay officials, tanods and volunteers to voluntarily carry the burden of eradicating crimes in their respective localities. Their individual effort and participation has an enormous help in PNP campaign of crime prevention. Since most crimes happen in the barangay, PNP can use members of BPATs to implement laws applicable in the barangay. By utilizing them, PNP can gather first-hand information, collect more evidence and preserve the crime scene necessary for identifying the perpetrator, filing the charges, prosecution and conviction. It can also be use by the PNP to establish good rapport in barangay sectors, since most members of BPATs are in the barangay who have a close contact in the community.