PNP Patrol Operations: Experiences, Aspirations, and Policy Insights

Abstract

This study explored the lived experiences, aspirations, and policy insights of Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel engaged in patrol operations across Zamboanga del Norte, focusing on Dipolog City, Dapitan City, and the 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company. Using a transcendental phenomenological design, ten patrol officers with at least five years of service participated in focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed through Braun and Clarke’s thematic framework. Findings revealed that policing is perceived not merely as employment but as a vocation rooted in public service and moral duty. Officers balance the demands of law enforcement with empathy, procedural fairness, and community engagement, despite operational constraints and occupational hazards. The study integrates procedural justice theory, occupational stress theory, and organizational culture framework to deepen understanding of how empathy, institutional support, and resilience interact within police practice. The findings extend criminological scholarship by linking frontline experiences to broader theoretical and policy implications, highlighting the need for mental health interventions, organizational reform, and comparative evaluation across regions to ensure responsive, humane, and accountable policing in the Philippines.