CHAPTER II

RELATED REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The chapter present related literature that is relevant to our research topic. It

provides adequate evidence that account on the subject and its related factors. It includes

topics such as the level of effectiveness of police operation in crime apprehension

Effectiveness of Police Operation in Crime Apprehension

Police operations are an essential component of the criminal justice

system, as they aim to prevent, detect, and respond to crimes. However, the

effectiveness of police operations in crime apprehension is not always clear, as

different factors may influence the outcomes of police interventions. Therefore, it is

important to examine the empirical evidence on the impact of police operations on

crime clearance and resolution rates, as well as the challenges and opportunities for

improving police performance and transparency.

One of the main ways to measure how effective the police are at catching

criminals is by looking at their success in solving crimes. This is measured through the

crime solution efficiency (CSE), which shows the percentage of cases that have been

solved out of all the crimes that have happened within a certain time period. A case is

considered solved when the person responsible has been arrested and charged with a

crime. Another way to gauge police effectiveness is through the crime clearance

efficiency (CCE), which shows the percentage of cases that have been cleared,

meaning the person or people responsible have been identified and charges have been

filed against them, regardless of whether they were arrested or not.

2021, there was a significant increase in both the CSE and CCE. The CSE increased

by 85.94 percent and the CCE by 80.87 percent from July 2016 to June 2021

compared to the period from July 2010 to June 2015. The PNP attributes this

improvement to their proactive enforcement efforts, particularly in fighting against

illegal drugs, as well as their improved ability to solve crimes. The PNP also claims

that their approach to preventing crime, which involves removing tools of crime,

eliminating criminal elements, and strengthening vulnerable areas, has led to a 64%

decrease in crime over the past five years.

However, some studies do not agree with the positive link between police

operations and crime apprehension. For example, Forst (2023) studied the National

Information Exchange Model (NIEM), which is a system for sharing information

among law enforcement agencies in the United States. He found that NIEM has not

made much progress in enhancing police effectiveness and transparency, as there are

still problems with data quality, compatibility, and governance. He also pointed out

that NIEM does not deal with the root causes of crime, such as poverty, inequality,

and social exclusion.

Another study by Lum et al. (2021) evaluated the empirical research on the

effectiveness of criminal investigations and detective work in resolving cases and

improving clearance rates. The study found that there is little evidence on what works

and what does not work in police investigations, as most studies are descriptive,

correlational, or observational, rather than experimental or quasi-experimental. The

study also listed several challenges for conducting rigorous research on police
investigations, such as ethical issues, practical constraints, and methodological

limitations.

Law enforcement. In recent years, there has been growing interest in

understanding the effectiveness of law enforcement in reducing crime rates.

According to the study of Lucagbo et. al (2016) the effectiveness of interventions

enacted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) to reduce crime rates in National

Capital Region (NCR) shows that some of these interventions, but not all of them, are

successful in lowering crime. The outcomes also reveal variations in how the

initiatives affected the various districts. This study provides evidence that law

enforcement interventions can be effective in reducing crime rates, but their

effectiveness can vary across different geographic regions and types of interventions.

Further research is needed to identify effective strategies for reducing crime rates and

improving public safety.

Moreover, according to Mendoza et al. (2020) the performance of PNP

officers in the National Capital Region (NCR) is influenced by various factors, such

as personality traits, organizational culture, demographic profile, and professional

history. They discovered that personality factors such as openness, agreeableness, and

neuroticism, as well as the quantity of transfers, the location of the assignment,

managerial skill training, age, and educational level, all predict high performance. The

authors concluded that their study provided insights into the factors that influence the

performance of police officers in Metro Manila. They suggested that their findings

could help improve the recruitment and selection policies, training and mentoring
 programs, and performance evaluation systems of the Philippine National Police

(PNP).

Police patrol. . The effectiveness of police patrol has been widely studied and

debated within criminology and law enforcement literature. It is a complex process

that involves balancing proactive crime prevention with reactive incident response.

Efficient patrol strategies are essential effectively utilized limited police resources and

minimize emergency response times (Dewinter et al., 2020). Police departments

should regularly evaluate and adjust their approaches based on changing crime

patterns, community needs and available resources to ensure the continuous

effectiveness of patrol strategies to reach their primary goal which is maintaining

public safety and to reduce the crime rates.

According to Samanta et al. (2021) Police patrol is a powerful instrument for

preventing crime and enhancing public trust in urban security. Due to a number of

operational and resource limitations, several cities throughout the world have

developed an organized and intelligent police patrol strategy. In this, cities can work

with the community and use data-driven approaches to increase effectiveness of

police patrols for urban safety. Additionally, continual evaluation and collaboration

among law enforcement agencies and communities are also necessary for sustaining

these efforts over time with limited resources.

In 2020, there is an increased in criminal cases in Indonesia compared to 2019

due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The dominant cases include narcotics abuse, weighted

theft, theft of two wheeled motor vehicles and cases of theft with violence. Police

patrols have been effective in reducing the crime rate in Labuhanbatu by exploring
designated areas, routes, and targets, and taking immediate action at the scene of the

crime were the minor crimes are committed and perpetrators caught red-handed (Rambe

et al. 2021). Their strategies lead to the effectiveness in combating crimes. However,

police service for preventing crime still needs to be enhanced. It is essential to allocate

more resources including recruiting additional personnel and providing them with

necessary equipment and operational funds.

In a recent review on the effectiveness of police presence, (Dau et al., 2023)

found an evidence which shows that police presence mostly reduces crimes involving

property, violence, motor vehicle, theft, and firearms. Their presence improves traffic

behavior and lower service calls. The visibility and proactive efforts act as a powerful

deterrent, particularly in property offenses, violence, theft and other types of crimes.

Their presence reinforces law and order, instills a sense of security in communities, and

contributes to a safer and more secure environment for everyone.

In a review conducted by Braga et al. (2019), hot spots policing has been found

to be generally effective in reducing crime. Out of the 78 studies analyzed in the review,

62 reported a decline in crime in the targeted areas where police presence and activity

were increased compared to non-targeted areas. However, it is important to

acknowledge that the effectiveness of hot spots policing may vary depending on the

specific context and implementation. While the majority of the studies demonstrated a

reduction in crime, it is necessary to c onsider factors such as community demographics,

local social dynamics, and variations in police strategies, which might influence the

outcomes.
 A specific study by Ratcliffe et al. (2020) discovered a decrease of 31% in

property crime in hot spots where marked police cars patrolled, compared to hot spots

where usual policing methods were maintained. However, no reduction in property

crime was observed in hot spots patrolled by unmarked police cars, underscoring the

importance of visible deterrence by law enforcement. It has been suggested that visible

patrol in hot spots is effective only when a certain threshold of crime already exists,

and the crime reduction effect may be temporary.

Novak et al. (2016) found that increased foot patrol reduced violence in hot spots

during the first 30 days of a three-month intervention period. In the past, a barrier to

implementing targeted patrol has been the belief that it merely displaces crime to

adjacent areas. However, systematic reviews indicate that crime displacement is

unlikely with focused police activity, and the benefits may even extend to surrounding

areas. When in a crime hot spot, officers should consider problem-solving approaches,

as research suggests that it tends to have a greater impact on crime reduction than

increased patrol or law enforcement (Braga et al., 2019).

PNP. (2021, July 30). Eleazar: Improved crime prevention, crime-solving efficiency led to huge
drop in PH crime in last 5 years. Philippine Information Agency. Retrieved from
https://pia.gov.ph/press-releases/2021/07/30/eleazar-improved-crime-prevention-crime-solving-
efficiency-led-to-huge-drop-in-ph-crime-in-last-5-years

Forst, B. (2017). Improving police effectiveness and transparency: National information needs
on law enforcement. Paper presented at the Bureau of Justice Statistics Data User’s Workshop.
Retrieved from https://bjs.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh236/files/media/document/forst.pdf

Prince, H., Lum, C., & Koper, C. S. (2021). Effective police investigative practices: an evidence-
assessment of the research. Policing: An International Journal, 44(4), 683-707

Lucagbo, M. D. C., De la Cruz, L. S., Narvasa, J. V., Paglicawan, M. J. A., & Pepito, J. P.
(2015). Incidence of Crimes and Effectiveness of Interventions in the National Capital Region:
Evidence from Panel Data .

Mendoza, J. R., Lao, A. C., & Reyes, M. C. (2019). Factors affecting the performance of police
officers in Metro Manila. International Journal of Police Science & Management, 21(4), 241-
254. doi:10.1177/1461355719861398

Dewinter, M., Vandeviver, C., Vander Beken, T., & Witlox, F. (2020). Analysing the police
patrol routing problem: A review. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 9(3), 157.

Samanta, S., Sen, G. & Ghosh, S.K. Correction to: A literature review on police patrolling
problems. Ann Oper Res 316, 1575 (2022).

Rambe, H. S., Sriono, S., & Kusno, K. (2021). The Effectiveness of Police Patrols in Efforts to
Reduce Criminality at Labuhanbatu Resort Police. Budapest International Research and Critics
Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal), 4(3), 3933-3944.

Dau, P. M., Vandeviver, C., Dewinter, M., Witlox, F., & Vander Beken, T. (2023). Policing
directions: A systematic review on the effectiveness of police presence. European journal on
criminal policy and research, 29(2), 191-225.

Braga AA and others. (2019). 'Hot spots policing of small geographic areas effects on crime'.
Campbell Systematic Reviews.

Ratcliffe J and others. (2020). 'The Philadelphia predictive policing experiment'. Journal of
Experimental Criminology.
Novak KJ and others. (2016). 'The efficacy of foot patrol in violent places'. Journal of
Experimental Criminology, 12, pp 465-475.