Work Attitude and Professionalism of Law Enforcers Assigned at Police Regional Office 11

8/10/2019 Work Attitude and Professionalism of Law Enforcers Assigned at Police Regional Office 11

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/work-attitude-and-professionalism-of-law-enforcers-assigned-at-police-regional 1/28

WORK ATTITUDE AND PROFESSIONALISM

OF LAW ENFORCERS ASSIGNED AT

POLICE REGIONAL OFFICE 11

SUBMITTED BY : ROSELYN A. BUSTAMANTE

SUBJECT : MPA 452



CHAPTER I

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

GLOBAL

The police and the processes of law enforcement are part of the main body of

orderly society. Before policemen were viewed with integrity, dignity and dedication to

duty. However, at present policemen are viewed with contempt and suspicion.

While most people seem to have a favorable view of the police most of the time,

many people frankly prefer to avoid contact with the police if at all possible, and the

outright hostility of some groups towards the police is well established reality. Reasons

for this perception were based on the image projected into the public from

sensationalized stories of police brutality and abuses.

Policemen are also human beings and their performance in providing law

enforcement duties are usually affected by their working conditions and organizational

system. (Radelet, 1980)

NATIONAL

Many policemen in the Philippines are still gentlemen with good bearings.

However, due to sensationalized reports of various media projecting their image as

“corrupt”, “cannot be trusted”, “disrespectful”, etc. The public got the impression that

most of the policemen are really like these. But there are a lot of fine policemen,

unfortunately, the government did not serve them well. They are underpaid and

deprived of vital resources. No matter how there conditions are and how risky there

work is having the right attitude towards their work will ease a lot of tension, pressures,and even fears.

LOCAL



A seminar on the on the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethical Standards

held at the PRO 11 Conference Room, Camp Quintin M Merecido, Buhangin, Davao

City, last October of 2013 revealed that ordinary policemen and policewomen must

undergo a process of self-realization of his or her values, visions and goals as a special

breed of public servant. Since policework requires daily judgment and individual

exercise of discretion, some value standards in terms of their work must be assumed

and expressed in all thoughts and actions.

The discussion of the Code envisioned to achieve and maintain a highly

professional, honest, efficient and competent law enforcers worthy of the public respect

and trust.

With this situation at hand, the researcher felt the need to conduct a study thatwould correlate the work attitude with professionalism of law enforcers assigned here in

the Police Regional Office 11.



THE PROBLEM

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine the relationship between work attitude and

professionalism of law enforcers assigned with the Police Regional Office 11.

Specifically it aims to answer the following questions:

1. What is the level of the work attitude of the law enforcers assigned at

the Police Regional Office 11?

2. What is the level of professionalism of the law enforcers assigned at

the Police Regional Office 11?

3. Is there a significant difference between the work attitudes of the law

enforcers assigned at Police Regional Office 11?

4. Is there a significant difference between the professionalism of the law

enforcers assigned at Police Regional Office 11?

5. Is there a significant relationship between the work attitude and

professionalism of the law enforcers assigned at the Police Regional

Office 11?





CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Theoretical Framework

According to experts, the work attitude of an individual affects his

professionalism. This is true regardless of unit, agency, or sector an individual maybe

in.

Variables

The variables are thus classified as the following:

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Indicators:

A. Work Attitude

- Work Interest

- Punctuality

- Salary

- Working Condition

- Work Assignment

- Accomplishment

- Promotion

Work Attitude Professionalism



Speci f ic Indicators:

Score Rating Scale Descriptive Equivalent

42-49 5 Excellent

33-41 4 Very Satisfactory

24-32 3 Satisfactory

15-23 2 Fair

7-14 1 Poor

B. Professionalism

- Professional Education

- Performance Evaluation

- Interpersonal Relations

Speci f ic Indicators:

Numerical Rating Scale Descriptive Equivalent

5 Outstanding

4 Very Satisfactory

3 Satisfactory

2 Less Satisfactory

1 Unsatisfactory



Significance of the Study

This study encouraged the researcher to investigate and conduct a thorough

study in the relationship of work attitude and professionalism of law enforcers because

she on her selves is a police officer. The knowledge gained from this study can provide

her with the perspective on how she can better lead and inspire her fellow police officers

in achieving the objective of serving the Philippine citizenry with dignity and utmost

dedication.

Since the PNP as a law enforcement organization has been confronted with

enormous problem in its public image, low income, low morale, dissention and

grumblings from its officers and men. This study aims to provide some answers on how

this problem can be eliminated. It is the researcher’s view that if the correlation between

work attitude and professionalism is established from this study better camaraderie,

leadership, responsibility and public accountability can be enhanced.

There is no doubt that this study can help the community as police-community

relations has to do with the attitudes of the police towards their work and towards

segments of the community. A police force who has professionalism among its rankscan become an effective public servants who are responsive to the needs of the

community and the country as a whole.



Scope and Delimitation

This research involves the study of the work attitude and professionalism of law

enforcers under the Police Regional Office 11. It involved data pertaining to the work

attitude as measured in seven (7) areas, namely: work interest, punctuality, salary,

working condition, area of assignment, accomplishment, and promotions. It also

involved data pertaining to the professionalism as measured in three (3) areas, namely:

professional education, performance evaluation and interpersonal relation. This data will

be gathered, statistically treated, interpreted, analyzed and summarized.

This research study will be conducted in the month of May 2014.

In the selection of the respondents, this study was delimited only among

policemen assigned with the Police Regional Office 11. Specifically, the 11th

Regional

Public Safety Battalion and PRO 11 Headquarters – RPHRDDS/R1, ROPD/R3,

RPCRD/R5, RIDMD/R7, and RHSSG.



Operational Definition of Terms

Work Attitude – as used in this study, this term refers to the attitude of the respondents

towards their work. This work attitude covers the areas namely: work interest,

punctuality, salary, working condition, area of assignment, accomplishment, and

promotions.

Professionalism – as used in this study, this refers to the professionalism of the

respondents as measured through their concern for professional education, their

individual performance as evaluated during the 1st Semester of CY 2014 and their

interpersonal relations with their peers, superior and the community they served.

Law Enforcers – this refers to the respondents used in this study. They are police

personnel selected from the 11th Regional Public Safety Battalion and PRO 11

Headquarters – RPHRDDS/R1, ROPD/R3, RPCRD/R5, RIDMD/R7, and RHSSG.

Police Regional Office 11 – this refers to the central office of the police force in region11. It has four (4) provincial police offices; namely : Davao del Sur Police Provincial

Office (DSPPO), Davao del Norte Police Provincial Office (DNPPO), ComVal Police

Provincial Office (CVPPO), and Davao Oriental Police Provincial Office (DOPPO); one

(1) city police office, the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) and one (1) regional public

safety battalion, the 11th Regional Public Safety Battalion. This office was located at

Camp Quintin M Merecido ( previously the Camp Catitipan), Buhangin, Davao City. This

office is the mother unit of the respondents whom operational and administrative control

over them emanates.



CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Recent studies on quality policing can be classified under several headings. First,

there is the relationship between various personal characteristics and subsequent

officer performance. This study relates to the problem of screening applicants. Second,

there is the problem of evaluating job performance itself. Third, there is the problem

ensuring sufficient applicants with the desired characteristics.

The first study dealt with the racial and ethically unbiased method for validating

tests. Then there is the refinement of screening procedures that relate personality traits

to effective police performance.

Various indicators suggest that there are serious questions about the reliability of

written tests as predictors of successful police performance. Screening procedure

increasingly stress extended interviewing aimed at the identification of important

personal history clues, such as occupational shifts, education, and early family history.

Police departments in major cities in the United States have already started

implementing this.

Considerable study is being done in police performance measurement, reflecting

unprecedented and concerted attention to productivity, accountability, and cost

effectiveness. A National Commission on Productivity in the United States was

established to develop recommendations for programs and policies to improve

productivity of the United States economy. In its publication, this commission stated that

the measurement of police activities, as well with all public service organizations, is

difficult because the goals and objectives of the activity are not easily quantifiable.

A study of police services provided to residential neighborhoods in the St. Loius

Metropolitan area was conducted in 1973 by the Workshop in Political Theory and

Policy Analysis, Indiana University. One important conclusion of this study was that a

synergistic combination of indicators bearing upon the same or different facets of



policing provides much deeper insight into police performance than is possible with

even the most accurate single indicators.

Professor Garry T. Marx of Massachusets Institute of Technology has pointed out

that the performance measures now used by police tend to be internally rather thanexternally generated. Supervisors, rather than peers, self or clients, set performance

standards. Therefore, these measures tend to conform to bureaucratic standards only

indirectly related to the actual objectives of police work. The tendency is to measure

how much or how many rather than how well. Marx further observed that this kind of

evaluation dwells on general qualities rather than on behavior in specific situations, and

it is more concerned with law enforcement than with community service or conflict

management. Furthermore, evaluation is used more to punish failure than to reward

success.

In the St. Louis Metropolitan area study cited above examined several

challenging questions, one of which was effects of training and education on police

attitudes and performance. Data were secured from both police officers and citizens to

test certain hypotheses relating training and education to specific attitudes of individual

officers, and other hypotheses relating to performance evaluation by citizens. The

summary conclusion was that the direct relationship between training and attitudes is

present the relationship between education and attitudes is only slightly stronger. The

findings on the relationship between training and education and citizen evaluation of

police performance has also been established.

The origins of the modern day police can be traced to 1829, the year in which Sir

Robert Peel managed to secure approval for the creation of a police force.

Peel’s Principle of Law Enforcement are based on the following:

1. The basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder

as an alternative to the repression of crime and order by mi9litary force and

severity of legal punishment.



2. 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.

3. The police must secure the willing cooperation of the public in voluntary

observance of the law to be able to secure and maintain public respect.

4. The degree of the cooperation of the public can be secured diminishes,

proportionately, the necessity for the use of physical force and compulsion in

achieving police objectives.

5. The police seek and preserve public favor, not by catering to public opinion,

but by constantly demonstrating absolutely impartial service to the law, in

complete independence of policy and without regard to the justice or injustice

of the substance of individual laws; by ready offering of individual service and

friendship to all members of the society without regard to their race or social

standing; by ready exercise of courtesy and friendly good humor; and by

ready offering of individual sacrifice in protecting and preserving life.

6. The police should use physical force to the extent necessary to secure

observance of the law or to restore order only when the exercise of

persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient to achieve police

objectives; and police should use only the minimum degree of physical force

which is necessary on any particular occasion for achieving a police objective.

7. The police at all times should maintain a relationship with the public that gives

reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public

are the police; the police are the only members of the public who are paid togive full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the

interest of the community welfare.





If such a principle as due process, for example, is to have practical meaning, the

nature of police behavior is important. What the police officer does and how he does it is

one weighty measure of the integrity of the entire legal system for each person with

whom he comes in contact. For many people, police are the only contact that they may

ever have with the legal system. If democratic law is to be credible and ethical to

ordinary citizens, with standards of fairness, reasonableness, and human decency, it

will be so to the extent that police behavior reflects such qualities (Radelet).

Gilbert and Sullivan in their study also observed that policemen have responded

to some extent negatively with self-pity, with defensiveness, with attempts to shift public

attention elsewhere, with occasional and unavoidable apologizing, and generally with a

retreat in to their own subculture, isolating themselves, sometimes rather bitterly from

the community. However, Gilbert and Sullivan has also observed that there has also

been a positive police response to social change. During the past years, this response

has been made through professional development. Professional development includes

such things as elevation of recruitment standards, strengthening against submission to

the demands of politicians, and development of a greater variety of training and

educational facilities and resources for the police.

The view of Jerome Skolnick on the police role question has been also noted. In

his writing he emphasizes the distinction between law and order and more specifically,

the conflict between two goals that might guide police behavior. One is the adherence to

the rule of law; police attitudes and actions that give high priority to the rights of citizens

and to legal restraints upon government officials. The other is managerial efficiency: the

goal of maintaining order with an efficient, technically sophisticated police organization.

Skolnick feels that police in the United States tend to emphasize order as their goal, at

the expense of legality. For Skolnick, maintaining order means controlling criminal

behavior.



There are some implications for police professionalism in what Skolnick says. His

concern for the rule of law and the importance he attaches to police officer’s role in it is

shared by other observers, for instance, Jerome Hall, in the Indian Law Journal.

In sum, the policemen who conforms to law is the living embodiment of the law,

he is its microcosm on the level of its most specific incidence. He is literally law in

action, for in action law must be specific. He is the concrete distillation of the entire

mighty historic corpus juris, representing all of it, including the constitution itself.

Sometimes in discussion of professionalism reference is made to what is called

attitude, for example, in the aphorism “attitudes makes the professional”. Attitude

although elusive and difficult to define in a concrete way becomes somewhat more

manageable when it is applied to the relationship between a professional and a client.

The late Alexander Woolcott had attitude in mind when he defined a professional as

“someone who does his best job when he feels worst.

Several years ago, sociologist Harold Wilensky claimed that the distinctive

standards of a profession are its technical basis (systematic knowledge or doctrine

acquired only through long prescribed training), and its adherence to professional norms(ethnic, attitude, client relations, etc.). He emphasized autonomous expertise and the

service ideal. Wilensky asserted, and he concluded that very few occupations will

achieve the authority of the established professions. If we call everything a profession

he said, we obscure its meaning and make it less a prize to be earned only by meeting

demanding requirements.

How important is professional recognition in police work? The preponderance of

the opinion strongly favors such recognition. Still, professionalization maybe a mixed

blessing – depending, again on how it is defined. Perhaps some insight along this line

can be gained by considering some specific aspects of police professional

development.



Another police analyst, Kansas Police Chief Bernard Brannon, stressed the

importance of attitude in his discussion of professionalism in police work. He believes

that being a professional police officer begins with seeing oneself as a professional. He

alluded to the effort and sacrifice necessary to become a professional, emphasizing that

there are responsibilities of such status accompanying the privileges. He spoke

discipline, dedication to the public service ideal, the importance of individual words and

deeds, constant emphasis upon study and learning, and the importance of participation

in community affairs.

The question of the desirability of professionalism for the police is germane.

James Q. Wilson states flatly that the patrolman is neither a bureaucrat nor a

professional, but a member of a craft. As with other crafts, there is in the police field no

generalized. Written body of special knowledge. Learning is imparted by apprenticeship,

largely on the job; the primary reference group is composed of colleagues on the job;

and the members think of themselves are set apart from society because they have a

special task to perform.

Professionalism in the police work is a desirable goal only when it is recognized

that:

1. Not everyone who works in the police station needs to be a professional; and

2. Police officer professionalism pivots in the human dimension of police work in

such thing as attitude, ethnic, service and sensitivity to people of all kinds

(client relations), and manifold activities directed toward earning public trust

and respect.

A point was also made by Jack Grossman and William Kohnke in an article on

the attitudinal approach to police professionalism. They conclude that ba professional

law enforcement officer should have the following traits:

1. Be problem oriented rather than self;



2. Have concern for people rather than self;

3. Prevent the citizen from setting the ground rules;

4. Recognize personal limitations;

5. Respect people served; and

6. Take pride in self and the profession.

Until recently, it had long been assumed that more formal education for police

officers automatically meant better, more professional police services. But a decade of

rapid expansion of police education has pinpointed some puzzling problems.

Only a few attempts have been made, none very satisfactory, to measure police

performance and relate it to officer educational level. It is obviously an extremely difficultresearch problem. Yet there are several current efforts, one in particular by David Geary

of the University of South Florida, that appear promising. It need hardly be added that

the difficulties in such research, as well as in the problems are traceable to the basic

role dilemma of the police.

Local Si tuat ion

In 1992, the Philippine National Police, recognizing the moral urgency of

developing its own set of standards relative to the professional duties and

responsibilities of responsive police service, came out with the PNP Code of

Professional Conduct and Ethical Standards. This Code spells out how police officers

themselves ought to behave.

This Code was prompted by the PNP leadership’s acknowledgement that a PNP

revamp is necessary. No less than General Sarmiento in his “Nuggets of Wisdom”, has

seen the need for a PNP revamp. The organization must cleanse its ranks of

undesirables and misfits.



The prosecution of this personnel is not the only step needed, professionalizing

the PNP organization is necessary. It must start with the rebuilding of its personnel

strength through a comprehensive recruitment process. The problem has according to

Gen. Sarmiento is that there are few takers. The basic pay of the lowest ranking police

officer is way beyond the competitive range in the labor market. Interest alone is not

enough to convince able bodied men to join the police force. Police candidates are

apprehensive about the basic recruit training that they have to go through.

Gen. Sarmiento’s “Nuggets of Wisdom” also came out with ideas focusing on the

need for a better police work attitude in order to professionalize the service. Such ideas

are as follows:

a. On the Value of Education .

The PNP aside from its primordial duty to safeguard peace and order, must

also participate in national development. The difficult part is preparing the

men to play police role in the best way possible. This can be done through

effective education and training for all officers and men of the PNP.

b. On Promotion s.

To be promoted, policemen should have to sacrifice and handle the

challenges and tasks bestowed upon their shoulders. Although, this is their

aspiration, this is not the ultimate goal in the PNP, there is more than

promotions. The be-all-and-end-all of the PNP’s existence is the delivery of

an effective police service to the people.

c. On Professional ism.

Good motives are not enough to make work truly valuable. Evil means must

not be used to achieve the intended goal. If the police is to work to serve his

fellowmen. They must avoid any means that would degrade their dignity. Law

enforcers are duty bound to serve but his would never be achieved by unfair





use of latest investigative technology that delivers immediate, impartial and credible

result; and Professionalism which is the end product of all human rights-based initiatives

at all levels of community service and peacekeeping operations. Many police officers in

the past look at human rights policies as a sanction rather than an indispensable tool to

facilitate the ends of justice. It took a series of trainings, seminars and actual field

exposures to human rights situations to change such negative mindset.

Quoted in the article posted in the Police Regional Office 11 Official website

updated on March 12, 2014, PRO 11 recaps the rules and regulations of its personnel

and civilian visitors to uphold the epitome of discipline at Camp Quintin M Merecido,

Buhangin, Davao City. This came after the PNP Chief PDG ALAN LA MADRID

PURISIMA reiterates that visitors and personnel should strictly observe all camp

regulations following several cited violations of visitors to the prescribed policies set

forth inside every PNP camp.

The Chief PNP once said that “every policeman should aspire for excellence in

carrying out his duties” and for the police force to transform itself into a fully professional

group of police heroes.”





Sampling Design

In choosing the respondents, the researcher utilized the stratified random

sampling. Stratified random sampling is defined as a strategy for selecting samples in

such a way that specific groups (strata) will have sufficient number of representatives

within the sample to provide sample numbers for analysis (Vockell, 1983).

In this study, the respondent s were taken from the 11th Regional Public Safety

Battalion and PRO 11 Headquarters – RPHRDDS/R1, ROPD/R3, RPCRD/R5,

RIDMD/R7, and RHSSG. For each of this units/offices, nine (9) representatives were

selected at random to comprise the respondents of this study. In all, 54 respondents

were selected.

Data Collection Method

The research utilized the objective method of data collection using the Likert

Attitude Scales. Thurstone (in Fisher, 1967), says that an attitude scale, is an

instrument design to yield a total score indicating the direction and intensity of the

individuals attitude about a specified topic being measured. Specifically, the Likert

attitude scale utilized by the researcher in order to create statements of opinions which

were presented to the respondents who indicate agreement or disagreement with the

statements. The respondents will check in a scale of 1 to 7 from strong disagreement to

strong agreement. This scale is then equated with numerical rating from 1 to 5 with the

descriptive equivalent of Excellent, Very Satisfactory, Satisfactory, Fair and Poor.

Instruments Used

This study will utilized the following sets of instruments:

Instrument 1 – Quest ionnaire



The questionnaire was designed to find out the respondents work attitude. Seven

questions were formulated and the respondents were to select their answer from seven

choices. The highest possible answer is 49 and the lowest possible answer is 7.

Instrument 2 – Performance App raisal

The researcher utilized the 1st Semester Individual Performance Evaluation

Report (IPER) of the different personnel under the Police Regional Office 11. The

performance appraisal was conducted by the respective heads of unit/office. The

performance appraisal has a numerical rating of 1 to 5 with the descriptive equivalent of

Excellent, Very Satisfactory, Satisfactory, Fair and Poor respectively.

Statistical Treatment of Data

A. For Sub-problems 1 and 2.

Step 1. Formulate the null hypothesis.

Step 2. Decide for the statistical treatment to be used.

Determination of Average Weighted Mean:

For Sub-problem 1.

Score Rating Scale Descriptive Equivalent

42-49 5 Excellent

33-41 4 Very Satisfactory

24-32 3 Satisfactory

15-23 2 Fair7-14 1 Poor



For Sub-problem 2.

Numerical Rating Scale Descriptive Equivalent

5 Outstanding

4 Very Satisfactory

3 Satisfactory

2 Less Satisfactory

1 Unsatisfactory

Formula: X = E M

N Where:

M = Mean

E = Summation Sign

X = Total Number of Points

N = Number of Indicators

For sub-problems 3 and 4.

a. The weighted grand mean is computed as follows:

M = (n1M1 + n2M2 + … + nkMk) / NG

= E n M / N j j

M = sample mean of j group

b. Compute for the sum of squares between groups,

SSqB

2 SS = E nj ( M - M )

J G



Where:

nj = the number of cases

M = sample mean of the group j

M = weighted grand mean

G

c. Compute for the squares within group

2 SSqw = E ( X i j - X j )

2 2 2 = E (X i j - M ) + E (X j - M ) + …. (x K – M )

1 2 2 k

d. The formula for the mean squares:

MSqB = SSqB - mean square between groups

K – 1

MSqw = SSqw

N – K

For sub-problem 5

Step 1. Formulate the null hypothesis.

Step 2. Compute for Person Product Moment Correlation (r).

Formula:

EXY - (EX) (EY)

N

2 2 2 2 EX - ( EX ) EY - (EY )

N n



Where:

r = pearson product moment correlation value

E = summation sign

x = individual score on variable 1

y = individual score on variable 2

Ex = summation score on variable 1

Ey = summation score on variable 2

n = number of respondents

Step 3. Compare computed r value with the tabulated r value. Decide whether to

accept or reject hyphothesis.

Interpretation:

.80 to 1 - high correlation

.60 to .79 - moderate high correlation

.40 to . 59 - moderate correlation

.20 to . 39 - low correlation

.01 to .19 - very low correlation



For Sub-problem 1

Table 1

Work Attitude

Items Score Average

1 Work Interest

2 Punctuality

3 Salary

4 Work Assignment

5 Work Conditions

6 Accomplishment

7 Promotions

TOTAL SCORE = AVERAGE WEIGHTED MEAN =

MEAN = RATING:

DESCRIPTIVE EQUIVALENT =

Documents

Work Attitude and Professionalism of Law Enforcers Assigned at Police Regional Office 11