Police Ethics

By: Joshua T. Mabasa

Values, Ethics and Professional Conducts for Police officers, for me, more than anything, this
should be the most prioritized subject to be learned by future police officers, much more for the
police officers we have now. I myself have experienced one time from a desk officer that lacks ethics
and values and Professional Conducts, I am not generalizing all as there are still many police officers
that have it but with just one officer that lacks of it could destroy the whole image of the PNP.
Values and ethics and Professional Conduct must be observed in all areas, be it in School as a
student, as a teacher and officer of any department you are in or even in business and government
be it private and public.

Values serve as a guide for moral action it is an individual belief that motivate people to act
in one way or another, such as “Utang na loob”, “Hiya”, “Marunong ka makisama” at “Marunong
makilala ng utang na loob.” But with my experience, most people no longer observe and identify
such values, mostly the values that they have is what you call, “Kapal ng Mukha”.

Police is defined as body of civil officers especially in a city organize under an authority to
maintain order and enforce law also the whole system of internal neglection which state law order
and prevent a crime. The police are given authority but it has it’s boundaries, a line that must not be
crossed must be kept in mind as police officers, you are there for peace and order, as such, you
yourself must know the law and be an example for the community to follow.

Police officers are sometimes sent to other areas with different customs, for example, you
might be from Luzon but was sent a mission order to Mindanao, the customs there are different
from yours, that is why you must learn ethics to respect other communities and wont have any
conflict, we must adjust ourselves, what should be done as law enforcer and what guidelines to be
used is a must as you uphold not only yourself but the image of PNP as a whole. As police officers
you respond and are always put in situations that require just and cautious correct judgment by legal
rule, one must not put in personal belief and emotions, we must abide by the constitution and
proper guidelines and due process, that is called discretion. With all of these followed we have what
we call a Virtue, harmony exist and we are inclined for actions that put it this way.

In conclusion, we are given command and responsibility and authority, with these we must
keep in heart to always be humble, we are called public servants for a purpose, we must not abuse
the authority we have and must practice maximum tolerance and always abide by the law, not with
personal beliefs and emotion, we have an image to protect and that image is the image of Police
Officers nationwide.