Police: Why Do We Need Them? (part 2)

We need the police for the people's general welfare.  As you continue  reading this sequel of part 1, the delicate task of the police is hereto briefly laid out for a cursory look. This part becomes the meat of the entire blog, in answer to the question used in the title.  Let this be a reminder that as much as we need police services, we also have our prime duty to trust them and support them for the greater good.

As an educator, I always want to reach out to the youth, sharing them my thoughts, and encouraging them to pick my challenge for support. The way I taught my students in the classroom along this issue, I'm reiterating this for my online youth readers. I'm positive that the greater independence among majority of the young along the use of the internet nowadays can  be tapped for instilling in them added knowledge about the work of our police and how  this  can eventually encourage them to do their share in securing peace and order in their immediate locality. But of course, this blog is for adults also.

 The Hierarchy In the Armed Forces- A Must-Know Information for the Public

It is of great importance that all citizens be involved in helping the police in keeping peace and order in their own locality. A working knowledge of the hierarchy of our government armed forces and what they do for the people will be of great value to all of us. We must understand that the defense of our country from our enemies inside and out is the main duty of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The President of the Republic is the Commander-in-Chief of the AFP. The AFP is divided into 2- the regular force and the reserve force. Those who belong to the regular force are the soldiers in active duty. Those who belong to the reserve force are those who trained and are on stand-by status who are ready when called to duty anytime they are needed.

The Regular Force is composed of 3 units of soldiers with their distinct work briefly described as follows:

1. The Philippine Army- (or Ground Force)- These soldiers guard people on land. They protect the country against land attacks by enemies. This unit takes charge of the training of land soldiers.

2. The Philippine Navy- These soldiers guard the waters around the Philippine area of responsibility against sea attacks by foreign invaders. This unit takes charge of training the naval soldiers.

3. The Philippine Air Force- These soldiers patrol and guard the skies. They protect the country from air attacks. This unit trains our pilots and airmen.

by Trishhhh@Flickr

The Work of the Policemen

It's important that every Filipino must have a good knowledge of how our government promotes our general welfare, how it protects and secures us through the police force. By knowing how the police work with the government in maintaining peace and order, we will, hopefully, be more aware and sensitive to their delicate roles. The police is divided into 2, namely:

1. The Philippine National Police (PNP)

The soldiers of the Philippine Constabulary (PC) make up the national police. They are stationed in every province all over the country. Their primary duty is to protect the people against robbers and outlaws.

2. The Local Police

Soldiers stationed in every municipality, town or city are our local police. They are the armed men working closely for the people, to protect their life and property.

The policemen  perform their duties in various ways. They see to it that laws are obeyed by the people. They keep traffic on busy street and see to it that traffic flow s in orderly manner for the safety of both motorists and pedestrians. They catch drivers who break traffic rules.

Policemen patrol the streets for bag snatchers, pickpockets, hold-uppers, gamblers, troublemakers, and all kinds of lawbreakers. They catch these lawbreakers and send them to court.  They are on duty day and night under the scorching sun and the biting cold of rain.  While we sleep soundly, these guardians of law patrol the streets. They are on the look out for thieves who enter our homes and rob us.  When they notice a suspicious character, they interrogate them to find out who they are and what they are doing. If enough  information is established that they are bad characters, the policemen arrest them and keep them in jail for safekeeping.  They are dealt with the following morning according to law. This way, they are prevented from committing crimes.

Policemen meet various dangers in the performance of their duties.  Humans as they are,  they aren't invincible like Superman or Wonder Woman. Robbers may fight back and engage them in fights and even shoot-outs. Criminals and prisoners they guard sometimes overpower them, kill them, and make their escape. Many policemen had lost their lives this way. Despite the many dangers, the police still perform their duty because they are under oath to protect people's life and property.

A traffic policeman may be injured in chasing a motorist who has broken a traffic rule. Even an innocent one mounted in his post can receive a bullet from any lawbreaker who hates the men in uniform. Today, there had been many incidents of policemen whose homes are being riddled by bad elements who may have an ax to grind against these guardians of law.

Children Can Help the Policemen

The children are not spared from their duty to help prevent problems that add to the work of the police. The dangerous and difficult work of the policemen can be lessened with help from everybody including the youth.

1. Children can help the policemen to prevent accidents. Streets are not playgrounds, so children must stay away from busy streets while at play. Many vehicular accidents happened because children chase balls, ride their bikes, ride their roller skates, run after a running playmate. These add work of the police on patrol. These activities of the children when left unchecked may also cause trouble for the police, their parents, and the children themselves. Many accidents that happened caused  pain of loss of young  family members.

2. Children should not spend idle hours outside their homes in the streets. It is here where many bad habits are formed by them. They may create unnecessary noise that disturbs people in the neighborhood who may be are at work or are sleeping. They may also exchange bad jokes that almost always end in a fight. They may gamble, steal, use prohibited drugs, and participate in many forms of activities that will pause dangers and problems to the police. Rather than be out there, children are better confined by their parents in the safety of their homes, engaging themselves in worthwhile hobbies.

3. School children must learn to follow traffic rules in going to and from home and school- to walk on the left side of the road to see oncoming vehicles; to walk carefully and not to play; to cross the streets only at designated intersections; to use the pedestrian lanes, if there are any; to understand and obey road signs; to wait for a moving vehicle to full stop before alighting or riding it; to keep their arms and heads out of the windows of running vehicles, etc, etc.

Adult Citizens Can Help the Policemen

If children can help the policemen keep peace and order, so much more can the adult citizens. They can best help by obeying the laws against gambling, stealing, destroying property, injuring or killing others, etc.  Since not all adults obey the law , crimes are mounting every now and then. Civic-minded and law-abiding citizens have important duties to perform when a crime is committed. They should immediately report it to the policemen. The lawbreakers must be arrested and tried in court. Those who actually saw the crime may go to court and stand witness  and tell the truth so that the judge can render a speedy and wise decision.

People can help the policemen by protecting our own homes from robbers. We must secure our homes before going to bed, or before leaving the house. Never leave doors and windows unlocked. This invites bad elements to break in the houses. We must always check our stoves to be safe from fire, to see to it that  we don't leave food we cook unattended. We must  unplug appliances like the flat iron when not in use. Ohh, there are many ways we can do for ourselves to be assured of a peaceful mind that we are secured in and out the house.

Who says, he is afraid of Who says, he is afraid of the police? If every individual knows how and why the police is there on patrol, each one will be more than willing to help them. Meantime, the beleaguered police of this country need our help. Let's help put our guardians of peace back to the pedestal of public trust.  Let's help them cleanse their tarnished reputation and public image. Let's be glad to see them face the world with heads high with dignity and continued valor. The police count on You and Me! We need the police!