Advisers

Eduardo E. Villaruel

Discipline

Criminology

Abstract

This study assessed the impacts of police foot patrol in fostering public trust in Barangay Novaliches Proper, Quezon City. It sought to determine how foot patrol influenced trust, evaluate its effects across crime reduction, prevention, community engagement, rapport building, feedback, enforcement, visibility, and response time, identify challenges, propose strategies, and examine demographic differences. The null hypothesis stated no significant differences in evaluations by age, sex, or residency/service length. A quantitative descriptive-correlational design was used, with 50 purposively selected respondents: 20 police officers from Station 4 Novaliches and 30 residents. Data were collected via a validated survey and analyzed using frequency, percentage, weighted mean, and Kruskal-Wallis H-test. All domains received high impact ratings. For crime reduction, the top indicator was "Criminal activities decreased when officers were regularly seen". For crime prevention, it was "Regular foot patrol controlled high-crime areas". For rapport building, the leading indicator was "Friendly interaction encouraged community participation". In community feedback, three items tied: "Officers listened to suggestions", "Residents reported concerns", and "Feedback was considered". For police visibility, the top indicator was "Patrols enforced community rules", and for response time, it was "Faster response reduced crime escalation". The main challenge was "Inconsistent officer visibility", and the top strategy was "Deploy additional officers for regular coverage". No significant demographic differences were found. The study concluded foot patrol has a substantial impact on trust, with consistent positive perceptions. Implications include prioritizing personnel, expanding coverage, and strengthening communication. Recommendations were made to the PNP, residents, officials, and future researchers for targeted strategies, engagement, funding, and longitudinal studies.

Keywords

public trust, community engagement, Police Foot Patrol, Barangay Novaliches Proper, Crime Reduction