Unit III

Lesson 7: Principles of Organization

The police organization is one of the most important government agencies any state has. A
civilian armed unit that enforces the law and exact obedience among the citizenry with due
consideration of ensuring the safety of all members of the community.

A Judge, in his commentary iterated that, the police are so important that it must not have the
privilege to speak out its grievances, when in doing so, the normal course of their daily police functions
will be put into a pause- causing a break in the continuous wat of democratic life. For the police officers
are civilian members of the society that they can run the entire mechanism of the government as they
are integral part of it.

With roots as part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police is a
paramilitary organization that maintained much of the solid foundation of an organization, such as
leadership, discipline, protocol, among others that helped the organization easily moved on after the
destabilization and immediate civilianization.

Principles of Police Organizations

CHAIN OF COMMAND: This refers to the line or chain of supervisors from top to bottom. Referring to a
continued position who takes the lead in controlling the entire police organization- as police officers are
still human, subject to natural elements and normal course of life, it is necessary to immediately
identify the next in line of the command who will assume the position in case of eventualities. It is the
set of officers who takes responsibility and accountability to all actions undertaken by the police.

It is the system which purpose is to ensure that orders, directives, and other information are
channeled downward and upward through an organizational structure in a timely and uniformed
fashion. Where every officer has the responsibility to ensure that all instruction are widely disseminated
and that all information necessary to be channeled to all personnel are properly executed.

It is also the manner through which the supervisors establish and maintain the necessary control
over subordinates. It is simply the way of ensuring obedience to all personnel by way of identifying
police officers necessary to enforce them.

Categories of Police Duties:

Primary line or operation police tasks:

 Patrol
 Investigation
 Traffic
 Vice
 Juvenile Control
Secondary or auxiliary service tasks:

 Records
 Property
 Crime laboratory
 Transportation
 Communication

Administrative or Managerial police task:

 Personnel
 Intelligence
 Inspection
 Planning
 Budgeting
 Training
 Public Community Relations

UNITY OF COMMAND: It simply means that each individual unit, and/or situation should be under the
control of only one direct unit supervisor. Presence of several bosses confuses the operation of
subordinates- this was eliminated by having an Officer with Primary Responsibility (OPR) or th Ground
Commander, where that police officer has full control and responsibilities and thereby, fully
accountable, to all action that took place in the said operation or police activity. In case that a senior
officer, in the chain of command need to have a say or instruction to the personnel, said instruction
must firstly given to the Ground Commander. And it is the discretion of the Ground Commander how to
execute the instruction given by the ranking officer. In a situation that the ranking officer is persistent,
then said senior official need to take over from the Ground Commander or establish a Command Post to
ensure that coordination of executive decision are readily available as guidelines of the Ground
Commander.

In police service, it is important that only one man be in complete command or supervision of
each officer. Confusion is created when more than one supervisor undertakes independent command of
an operation performed by several subordinates or when a subordinate receives orders from one or
more superior. In such a scenario, the orders given are not likely to be harmonious and conflicting
orders confuse subordinates and make the coordination of efforts difficult.

It is unwise for police commanders to appear at the scene of the incident on a routine basis
unless he plans to take personal command. If he is present and does not act, he runs the risk of
abdicating his authority and serves no purpose with his presence, exempt to tempt his subordinates to
refer the matter to him.

SPAN OF CONTROL: An officer should not have more subordinates than he can effectively supervise,
manage, or control. This is usually based on the police line units established for easier comprehension,
guided by the geographical representation our country follows:
  All municipalities (MPS) and component cities (CPS) under the provincial office (PPO)
 All provinces (PPO) and chartered cities (CPO) under the regional office (PRO)
 Group of regional office (PRO) under a Directorate for Integrated Police Office (DIPO)
 All Units under the National Headquarters (NHQ)

In police service the span of control is the pyramidal arrangement or grouping of subordinate units
or personnel. The ability of one man to direct, coordinate, and control immediate subordinates- his span
of control- has physical limits, because he can be only in one place at one time, and his inability to work
for a continuous 24 hours daily. There are also definite mental limitations to successful command as the
number of immediate subordinate increase. In addition, as the number is increased, the task command
increases; this is particularly when subordinates are separated from the superior by the time and place.

Determinant factors for proper span of control:

 Native ability
 Complexity of the task to be performed
 Separation from the superior from immediate subordinates.
 Time demanded but the public for personal assistance.

Factors which results in error in span of control:

 Over estimation of his own ability

DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY: The principle of delegation of work is related to the process committing
an activity to another’s care. It is closely related to principle of span of control in that even though the
span of attention is excessive, the harm from it can be reduced by delegation of many details to
subordinates.

The division of the tasks of command among the officers of the various units is referred to as the
delegation of authority. The authority of the chief is limited to the command of members within the
pyramid of that officer’s authority. That officer in turn delegates the authority given to him to the heads
of smaller units. This process is continued to the lowest level that of execution.

Division in Delegation of Authority:

Policy formulation- involve what are to be done in the form of orders or broad statement of action

Direction- deals with procedures what is to be done who is to do it, when, where, and how it is to be
done.

Supervision- deals with the assistance and guidance given to subordinates to ensure successful
performance.
Execution- deals with the performance of tasks to be done with commensurate authority to fulfill the
responsibility.

COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY: An officer of the police force who is directly or immediately in command
shall be answerable under the doctrine of command responsibilities for any of the following:

o Misfeasance- it is the improper performance of some act which might be lawfully done. In the
police service this is equivalent to irregularities in the performance of duties.
o Misfeasance- also known as misconduct it is the performance of some act which ought not to
be done.
o Misfeasance- it is the omission of some act which ought to be performed. It as also referred to
as neglect of duty.

Justification to be exempted from the doctrine of “Command Responsibility”

 When the commanding officer was not properly informed of the acts or omission of his
subordinates
 When the commander was properly informed, and he conducted an immediate investigation of
such act or omission.
 When he acted upon lawful orders from higher authorities.