Background of the Study
Community policing is an approach that emphasizes building partnerships between
law enforcement agencies and local communities to proactively prevent crime and
address local safety concerns. By prioritizing problem-solving, transparency, and
citizen engagement, community policing aims to reduce opportunities for crime,
improve trust between residents and police, and enhance perceptions of public
safety (Schmalleger & Packer, 2018; Gill & Weldon, 2019).
Across the Philippines and in comparable developing contexts, community policing
initiatives have been implemented with the goal of aligning police services with
community needs and improving crime prevention outcomes. Nationally,
researchers have reported mixed results, with effective implementation often
dependent on sustained funding, political will, community trust, and the presence of
formalized partnerships between police, local government units, and civil society
organizations (Agrawal & Khera, 2017; Santos & Reyes, 2020). When communities
actively take part—through neighborhood watch groups, advisory boards, and
shared responsibility for keeping neighborhoods safe—crime tends to go down or be
easier to understand, though results can vary depending on the type of crime and
the area (Lum et al., 2019; Mendes & da Costa, 2021).
Tigbauan is a coastal municipality in Iloilo Province, Philippines, with a mix of
urbanizing centers and rural barangays. The area’s social and economic fabric—
family-oriented communities, local markets, and active barangay leadership—offers
a relevant setting to explore community policing dynamics. The municipal police
station, in collaboration with the local government unit and civil society groups, has
piloted neighborhood safety programs and information-sharing platforms designed
to identify crime hotspots and mobilize residents for preventative actions. By
leveraging police crime data, barangay crime reports, and household surveys, this
study will quantify associations between community policing activities and observed
crime rates in Tigbauan over a defined period, while controlling for potential
confounders such as seasonal effects and demographic changes (Barker & Carter,
2016; Hernandez & Tan, 2022).
There is a need to find out if community policing really reduces crime in small towns
like Tigbauan. Understanding how big the effect is, and what conditions help or
hinder it, can help policymakers, police leaders, and community groups decide
where to spend money, how to build partnerships, and which parts of the program
matter most (for example, solving local problems, being transparent, or engaging
youth). With rapid urban growth, changing crime patterns, and limited resources, a
local, numbers-based study can connect national ideas to real on-the-ground
results. This study aims to provide evidence that can guide practical, place-specific
policing strategies in the Philippines and similar settings (Taylor & Sherman, 2018;
Reyes & Montero, 2023).
References
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