The Philippine National Police is committed to ensuring public safety and reducing the fear and the incidence of crime in the community. But there are many things each and every community member can do to reduce his or her chances of becoming a victim or prevent the incidence of crime from happening. Below are crime prevention tips for your home, your business, yourself and your family. We urge you to familiarize yourself with the information contained in this section and to make crime prevention, awareness and education a part of your everyday life.
For more crime prevention tips, please email Police Community Relations Group: pcrg@pnp.gov.ph.
Download Crime Prevention Tips Flyers in PDF (Tagalog Version) [PDF format]:
Crime Prevention Tips
- Get to know your neighbors and all those residing in your street. They will be your
partners in watching the activities in your block.
- Organize a Street Watch composed of neighbors as members. Be concerned and
cooperate in watching activities on the block and reporting unusual or suspicious
behavior to the police and the Street Watch Officer.
- Exchange names, home and work telephone numbers among members. Prepare
diagram of the block or neighborhood where you belong for easy identification of
households in case an emergency or crime incident occurs. The diagram should contain
the house number, telephone numbers and occupants' names. The emergency and
police department telephone numbers should be included in the diagram.
- Look after you neighbor’s house when he is away and ask him to look after yours. This
includes collecting your mail, newspapers and other deliveries which would indicate at a
glance that no one is home.
- Attend meetings called by your Street Watch Officer. Find out about the crime situation
in your area and what you can do about them. Share information and experiences with
your neighbors.
- Get to know your police chief and members of the police station in your area. Write down
the station’s emergency hotline number in a place you can easily see in case you will
need police advise or assistance. Use your police force – they are ready, willing and able
to keep you, your family and your neighborhood safe and sound.
Reporting a Crime
Emergency Call
An emergency call is defined as a situation where a person’s life or property is in danger or
threatened. In-progress calls are where crimes are being committed at the time of your report.
Examples of Emergency Calls
1. Accidents with injuries
2. Attempted suicides
3. Rescue calls
4. Ambulance calls
5. Persons injured or bleeding
6. All fire calls
7. Strangers forcibly entering a house
8. Strangers carrying household articles, appliances from
neighbor’s house
9. Someone trying to gain entrance to your home
10. Group of persons with weapons preparing to fight
11. Automobiles stopping to pick up a person walking along
the street and it looks that the person doesn’t want to go,
especially young children.
12. Shootings
13. Stabbings
14. Armed robberies
15. Rape
Non-Emergency Call
A non-emergency call is a situation where a person’s life and property is not in immediate danger.
Included under this definition are crimes against property, crimes against persons where the
victim is not injured and offenders are not at or near the scene. However, a police officer is
needed to respond, investigate and take a report.
Examples of Non-Emergency Calls
1. Smashed doors or windows in unoccupied homes or stores
2. Abandoned car on the street.
3. Persons loitering near school.
4. Information and rumors of impending crimes.
5. Persistent anonymous calls.
6. Suspicious looking persons following your moves while shopping or on
your way home.
7. Late discovery of crimes against persons or property.
Information the emergency operator will want to know:
- A description of the emergency you are reporting. (What did you
observe?)
- The address or location of the emergency you are reporting.
- Your name, address and telephone number.
- Number of persons involved.
- Descriptions of the persons involved.
- Direction taken by the escaping suspects.
- Is suspect in a vehicle or on foot?
- Plate number and description of vehicle.
- Other details and circumstances.
Keeping the family Safe
- Make sure you and members of your family know the whereabouts of everyone for the
day. Place a “whereabouts” board in the kitchen or family room where family members
can post their schedules or destinations for the day.
- Instruct all family members and household help not to entertain strangers at the gate or
on the phone. Children should be especially trained not to converse with strangers on
the phone. Transactions, if any, should be done outside the gate. This will prevent
closer observation of your premises or the household layout.
- Teach your family and household helps to verify the identity of phone callers before
identifying themselves.
- Never give out information on the whereabouts of family members to just anyone on the
phone. Friends or relatives should be politely asked to call again so they can personally
talk to the person they are looking for. Should the unknown caller insist on asking to
speak to each and every family member, ask for his name and politely say the message
will be relayed and that he should call back again. Call the police for assistance if you
repeatedly receive anonymous phone calls.
- Instruct family members and your house help that designated family member must be contacted in an emergency or if there are dubious characters at your door or on your
phone. List the important phone numbers in the front or back page of your directory for
easy access.
- Be aware of phone swindlers who call in and report that one family member has been in
an accident and is asking for the family member or household help to bring cash or other
valuable to a certain place. Verify with another family member before acting on this.
- Verify the identity of callers at your gate before opening the door. Use peepholes
provided on gates and doors for this purpose. Should the stranger be a repairman,
electrician or the like, verify his identity by calling the service office.
- Advise your children to refrain from playing/loitering on streets outside your residence
where they are highly vulnerable to abduction. Advice your children never to leave home
without telling you of their destination and expected time of arrival.
Keeping the Children Safe
- Do a background check of anyone you intend to employ i.e. baby-sitter, gardener,
domestic helper, driver or security guard. It is possible that the kidnappers would be
utilizing such persons to infiltrate your residence to acquire vital information on household
valuable, routines, layout and patterns.
- Teach your children not to talk to strangers or accept anything from strangers, especially
in school. Should they be approached, tell them to report the incident to school
authorities.
- Ask your children’s school not to give out any information regarding your children to
anybody. Insist that strict guidelines be followed regarding persons authorized to pick-up
your children. Other than those duly authorized by you, your children should not be
allowed to leave with any other person without prior authorization from you. For security,
children should be asked to talk to the parent authorizing their release. This will help
ensure protection against kidnappers who call and claim to be the child’s parents.
Crime Prevention Starts With You And Your Family
More often than not, crimes occur because we open ourselves and our families to
criminal opportunities. Talking to strangers, absence of security procedures for anonymous
callers, taking for granted one’s safety outside the home, etc. make us easy prey to criminals. In
the fight against crime, knowing that the worst can happen makes you less prone to be a victim
and more confident of avoiding disasters.
Protecting yourself, your family and your home is a matter of responsibility that cannot be
taken on by anyone else. You can make the difference.
Securing your Home and your Belongings
There are three things you can do to help reduce burglary:
- Make your home burglar-proof.
- Mark your belongings that burglars are most likely to
steal.
- Be alert to report suspicious persons and unusual
activities to the police before a crime may occur.
What can you do?
- Ensure all doors and windows have locks in working condition. Keep
only that is used to enter the house open, all other entry points to your
household should be securely locked to prevent unnoticed entry into your
home.
- Make it a habit to check that all doors and windows are locked at night
before going to sleep. The dark of night is a most ready camouflage for
robbers and other criminals.
- Outside your home: Prune lower tree limbs – don’t provide the thief
with a natural ladder into second floor windows. Keep the view to your
house open – criminals love to hide behind tall fences or overgrown
bushes while breaking into your home.
- Keeps porches, yards, and all entrances to your house and garage well
lighted. Leave lights on inside your house when you go out for the
evening.
- Keep a record of the important information (especially make, model
number, serial number) of all household facilities and equipment, such as
TV, radio, video cassette recorder, refrigerator, VCR, washing machine.
Have an inventory of your jewelry and other precious items and
documents like birth, baptismal and marriage certificates.
- Store cash and other valuable in the bank. Hiding them inside locked
drawers does not guarantee that they will be safe from the knowing eyes
and practiced moves of robbers.
- Bring in all outdoor equipment (bicycles, garden hose, mower, etc.) at
night. Leaving these valuables out in the garden or street is an open
invitation to robbers and thieves.
- Protect your house from prying eyes by using curtains or drapes.
- Provide family members with their own keys to the house. This is safer
than leaving the key in a “secret” place, one that can be discovered by
any person who takes the time to watch your movements when you
leave your home and come back at night.
- If you and your family are going on a vacation, ask a neighbor to watch
your home, or ask a relative to stay in your home while you are away.
An empty house is a prime target for criminal elements.
If you are under threat…
If there are suspicious sounds or shadows in your home, try to contract the police quietly so
as not to let the intruders know that you are aware of their presence.
Most robbers are after the property inside your home, and are more prone to working swiftly
and quietly to avoid any physical or violent encounters.
If you awake to the sound of an intruder, you have several options:
- Lie quietly to avoid attracting attention to yourself, hoping that they will leave you
undisturbed.
- You may choose to open lights and make noise by moving around thereby warning them
that you are awake, and scaring them into leaving your home. Even if you are alone in
the house, you may speak loudly to an imaginary companion.
- If you see signs of a break-in or suspicious persons inside your home, do not attempt to
go in as the robbers may still be inside. Go to your nearest neighbor and call the police
for immediate assistance.
- Remain calm and do not panic. Although a robber would prefer to avoid confrontation,
they are easily agitated and more prone to uncalled for abuse or violence.
- Try to talk it out with the robbers. If you are up to it. This will delay them, and allow for
alternative action on your part, if the situation allows.
- Note all peculiarities and mannerisms of the robbers, if you come face-to-face with them.
Tattoo marks, physical defects, moles and speech mannerisms will help in giving the
police a more solid description of the robbers.
Safety Tips on the Streets
- Day or night, do not walk in dark streets, alleys and unsafe shortcuts.
- Stay away from dark isolated places or vacant lots at night. These areas are hangouts of
criminals. Do not take chances.
- Do not walk between parked cars in parking lots. Avoid walking alone in unlit and
uncertain places. At night, wait for buses, taxicabs or jeepneys in well-lighted areas.
- When going to economically depressed areas (slums/squatter’s area) communities, do
not wear expensive jewelry and carry substantial cash. If you decide to go to such
places, remove your jewelry; this may save your life or limbs.
- Do not flash a lot of cash around when travelling. Money attracts the “bad eggs.”
Commuter Safety
- When in a bus or jeepney, do not extend your hand out the window; your watch/jewelry
could be snatched or your hand injured by another vehicle.
- When you ride a cab, take the habit of getting the name of the cab, its plate number, and
the cab driver’s name. This will be handy in case you leave something in the cab or if
the driver tries to hurt or rob you.
- Be careful with what you carry when riding on a crowded bus. If you are to carry so many
things, take a cab home and check the cab well before alighting.
- If you are to visit someone, call him/her for your expected time of arrival. This will be
helpful in case an accident happens on the way. It is also advisable to always inform
your relatives or neighbors where you are going and for how long you will be away.
Safety in Commercial Centers
- Never try to buy something from the sidewalks; instead, go to a department store. The
goods may be a little more expensive there but it is safer since you avoid thieves,
pickpockets and sidewalk hawkers.
- Never grab a bargain sold gold watch, diamond ring or anything from the sidewalk. You
are likely to be gypped with a stolen good and could be later on charged with theft.
- Never exchange your wrist watch, expensive pen or gold ring for “a found diamond ring”.
Never bargain or argue with strangers in the streets. Ignore them and just leave.
- Never go with a stranger to get a bargain article. You may be robbed or gypped at the
back street.
Tips for Women
- If someone is talking you, seek the help of security guards (when inside a building) and
then call or go to the nearest police block/station in your area.
- Do not ride a jeepney if there are no female passengers inside, wait for the next vehicles.
It is safer to take a bus if you are commuting alone at night. Sit near the driver if
passengers are predominantly male.
- Do not hitch a ride with a person you do not know very well. It is always safer to take the
bus, jeepney or taxicab.
- Avoid watching movies alone; always take someone with you – a relative or trusted
friend.
- Ask somebody to accompany you when traveling, especially if night will overtake you.
- Always carry in your bag a whistle or anything that may be used to sound alarm when in
danger. Scream or shout for help when you are in danger of being attacked.
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