THE PROVINCIAL PEACE AND ORDER COUNCIL AND ITS RELEVANCE TO THE CRIME PREVENTION EFFORTS OF THE GOVERNMENT

The study aimed to evaluate the relevance of the peace and order council’s action against criminality in the province of Albay. Primarily, it focused on how relevant the actions or the solutions are of the peace and order council in the selected localities in the province of Albay in dealing with the crime trend. It also focused on the participation of the respondents in the implementation of peace and order council’s actions against criminality, the effectiveness of the POCs Peace and Order and Public Safety Plan in addressing the problems of criminality, and the hindrances encountered by the implementing agencies on its effective implementation. Quantitative descriptive approach was used to gather necessary data with the aid of a survey questionnaire. Data were analyzed and interpreted using frequency, weighted arithmetic mean, and correlation statistics. Data were gathered from the selected members of the community, non-commissioned officers of every municipal and city police station in the province, and barangay officials. Results revealed that the peace and order councils’ action on the efforts of the government to address the crime problems is relevant. With this belief, the respondents participate in the effective implementation of the POC’s Peace and Order and Public Safety Plan to address the problems of criminality. However, the hindrances encountered by the implementing agencies were considered very serious. Hence, it is recommended that the policy planners of the government should seek criminological knowledge from proper organizations in formulating a dependable and sustainable peace and order and public safety plan.