Rules of Engagement
Rules of Engagement
Rules of Engagement
Exemption: In case of HOT PURSUIT, the Police Unit shall endeavour to notify
the territorial unit by any means of appropriate communication at any time, if
not possible, shall accomplish and furnish the territorial police unit a written
incident report immediately after the termination of the particular pursuit
operations.
DISCUSSION OF THE MAIN TOPIC
Requirements of Intervention Operations:
a. With a marked police vehicle,
b. Preferably led by Police Commissioned Officer, and
c. Personnel in Uniform.
Jurisdictional Investigation
The police units which has territorial jurisdiction of the area of the armed
confrontation,together with the SOCO Team, if any, shall immediately
undertake the necessary investigation and processing of the scene of the
encounter.
DISCUSSION OF THE MAIN TOPIC
Authority to Establish Checkpoints
The establishment of permanent checkpoints must always be duly authorized
and manned by uniformed police personnel assigned in the areas.
The following are the requirements in the establishment of checkpoints:
1. Mobile checkpoints are authorized and shall be established only in
conjunction with ongoing operations. Only official and marked vehicles shall
be used in establishing mobile checkpoints.
2. Checkpoints may be established when there is a need to arrest a criminal
or fugitive from justice.
3. The conduct o searches, seizures, and arrest in checkpoints shall be done
with civility and with due respect to innocent passers-by, commuters, or
bystanders.
DISCUSSION OF THE MAIN TOPIC
Police personnel tasked to provide assistance shall be in proper uniform and will be led by an officer during
the actual and legal relocation phase. They shall be limited only to occupy the first line of law enforcement
and civil disturbance control; shall not participate in the physical dismantling of any structure subject of
eviction or demolition; and shall refrain from the use of unnecessary and unreasonable force.
DISCUSSION OF THE MAIN TOPIC
Civil Disturbance Management Operations
The Police Units tasked to maintain peace and order shall not interfere with the holding of public assembly
after verification that the permit for such purpose has been issued by the concerned Local Government Unit
(LGU).
To ensure public safety, a Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) contingent under the command of Police
Commissioned Officer (PCO) with the rank of Police Senior Inspector (Police Captain) or higher shall be detailed
and stationed at least 100meters away from the place where the public assembly is being held.
In the absence of any permit from LGU concerned, the PCO in command should exert effort to persuade
the demonstrators to disperse peacefully and vacate the public place. In case of lightning rallies or
demonstrations, orderly dispersal should only be resorted to, including the apprehension of those responsible
therefore, in case of resistance after exhaustive dialogue for voluntary dispersal has failed.
DISCUSSION OF THE MAIN TOPIC
Civil Disturbance Management Operations
Specific Guidelines:
1. When assistance is requested by the leaders or organizers, it shall be imperative for the members of the CDM
contingent, to perform their duties, always mindful that their responsibility is to provide proper protection to
those exercising their right to assemble peacefully and their freedom of expression are primordial.
Towards this end, the members of the CDM contingent who deal with the demonstrators shall be in complete uniform with the
nameplates and unit to which they belong displayed prominently on the front and dorsal parts of their uniform.
2. The members of the CDM contingent shall not carry any kind of firearms but may be equipped with baton or riot sticks, crash
helmets with visor, gas masks, boots or ankle high shoes with shin guards.
3. Tear gas, smoke grenades, water cannons, or any similar anti-riot devices shall not be used unless the public assembly is
attended by actual violence or serious threats of violence, or deliberate destructions of property.
DISCUSSION OF THE MAIN TOPIC
Dispersal of Public Assembly with Permit
No Public assembly with permit shall be dispersed. However, if an assembly becomes
violent, the Police may orderly disperse such public assembly in the following manner:
1. At the first sign of impending violence, the Ground Commander or the CDM contingent shall call the attention of the leaders
of the public assembly and ask the latter to prevent any possible disturbance.
2. If actual violence to a point where rocks or other harmful objects from the participants are thrown at the Police or at the
non-participants or at any properties causing damage to such properties, the designated officer or CDM Commanders shall
audibly warn the participants that if the disturbance persists, the public assembly will be orderly dispersed. The CDM
Commander may also conduct a dialogue with the leader informing them of their actions and advise them to disperse
peacefully.
3. If the violence or disturbance prevailing as stated in the preceding paragraph does not stop or abate, the designated
officer/commander of the contingent shall audibly issue a warning to the participants of the public assembly, through loud
hailers or public address system, and after allowing a reasonable period of time to lapse, shall immediately order it to
forthwith disperse .
4. No arrest of any leader, organizer or participants shall be made during the public assembly unless they violate any law,
statute, ordinance or any provision of Batas Pambansa Blg. 850 during the assembly. Such arrest shall be governed by Article
125 of Revised Penal Code, as amended.
5. Isolated acts of incidents of disorders or breach of the peace during the public assembly shall not constitute a ground for
dispersal.
DISCUSSION OF THE MAIN TOPIC
Dispersal of Public Assembly without Permit
When the public assembly is held without a permit where a permit is required, the said public
assembly may be orderly dispersed. Water cannons may be used to disperse the crowd when the
situation so demands.
CDM Operational Approaches
Approaches to be considered during any Civil Disturbance Management
Operations:
1. The commitment of CDM personnel must be viewed as last resort. Their role, therefore, should never be
greater than is absolutely necessary, under the particular circumstances which prevail. This does not mean,
however, that the number of troop employed and deployed should be minimized. A large reserve of troops
should be maintained during civil disturbance operations.
2. In selecting an operational approach to a civil disturbance situation, the Ground Commander and his staff
must adhere scrupulously to the “minimum necessary force” principle.
DISCUSSION OF THE MAIN TOPIC
CDM Operational Approaches
Approaches to be considered during any Civil Disturbance Management
Operations:
3. Every effort should be made to avoid appearing as an alien invading force and to prevent the image of
restrained and well-discipline force whose sole purpose is to assist in the restoration of law and order with a
minimum loss of lives and properties and due respect for those citizens whose involvement may be purely
accidental.
4. Consistent with the controlling principle that he must use only the minimum force necessary to accomplish
his mission, the Ground Commander arms his troops with rattan stick, shield, Kevlar helmet and handcuffs.
DISCUSSION OF THE MAIN TOPIC
Internal Security Operations
The Police are mandated by law to support the military in internal security
operations(ISO)
1. The Police in Support Role
a. Conduct sustained law enforcement actions against dissident terrorists’ atrocities.
b. Collect intelligence information on dissident terrorists’ activities.
c. Conduct limited internal security operations, of a defensive nature, to flush dissident terrorists’ out of urban
areas. At all times, the Police units concerned shall coordinate with the military units in the area at the first
opportunity.
d. Conduct investigation and prosecution of internal security operations-related cases.
2.The Police in Active Role
a. Conduct search and destroy operations against dissident terrorists’ strongholds and concentrations.
b. Conduct intelligence operations to neutralize guerilla safe houses in urban places.
c. Conduct civil-military operations to dismantle the political machinery of the CPP/NPA in the area.
DISCUSSION OF THE MAIN TOPIC
Police Defensive Position
Security measures against dissident terrorists’ atrocities must be undertaken as
follows:
1. Continuously remind all personnel to be extra careful and security conscious in their day-to-day activities
and during troop movements.
2.Vigorously implement added security measures in all Police stations and Police community precincts,
particularly those situated in far-flung or isolated places which are vulnerable to the surprise attacks, raids or
harassment by dissident terrorists.
3. Conduct continuous checks and inspections of the operational readiness of the field units/stations, and
always keep in mind the modus operandi, strategies and tactics being practiced and/or employed by the
dissident terrorists.
4.Refrain from injecting or deploying personnel/unit in insurgent affected areas without first conducting a
thorough and sincere threat analysis or evaluation, including social background of the area/s.
5. Re-train or re-orient personnel on “back-to-basics” training or combat patrols, military/police intelligence,
police-community relations and the like.
6. Intensify intelligence-gathering and counter-intelligence operations to monitor or detect enemy plans and
activities.
E. REFERENCES
Adams, Tomas F. (1990). Police field operations: Second edition. New Jersey, USA:
Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Birser, Michael Z. & Cliff A. Robinson (2007). Police field operations: Theory meets
practice. California, USA: Allyn & Bacon Publishing, Co., Inc.
Coronel, Miguel G. (2006). People empowerment against crime. Espana, Manila: Zita
Publishing Company.
Corvera, Edwin I. (2000). First responder’s manual. Quezon City: Directorate for Human
Resource and Doctrine Development.
Duke, J. R. (2014). Police operations. New Jersey, USA: The Encyclopedia of Criminology
and Criminal Justice.
E. REFERENCES
Hess, Karen M. & Henry M. Wrobleski (2005). Police operations: Theory and practice:
Second edition, California, USA: West Publishing Company.
Nolledo, Jose N. (2005). Handbook on the Philippine National Police: First edition.
Tandang Sora, Kalookan City: Philippine Graphic Arts, Inc.
Thomson, Allan R. & Anne S. Hudson (2012). Introduction to police operations and
methods: The connection of law and history, Lousiana, USA: University of Southern
Mississippi’s Open Textbook Initiative.
Wilson, Orlando W. (2007). Police planning: Eight edition. Illinois, USA: Charles C. Thomas
Publisher.