Residents' Perceptions Of Crime-Prevention Strategies And Police-Community Relations In Selected Barangays Of Pikit, Cotabato

Authors

  • Nieves Faye Tabusares Author
  • Marc Bever O. Dima Author
  • Hayroden O. Batua Author
  • Jasper Lamanilao Author
  • Salman A. Taluno Author
  • Joesel B. Villegas, RCrim. Author

Keywords:

community policing, perceived safety, police legitimacy, police trust, situational crime prevention, Pikit

Abstract

Introduction: Effective crime prevention requires both appropriate law-enforcement strategies and positive police-community relations. However, limited evidence exists on residents’ perceptions of these factors in local Philippine communities.

Objective: This study assessed residents’ perceptions of crime-prevention strategies and community engagement and examined their relationships.

Methods: A descriptive-correlational, cross-sectional design was used among 392 residents from five selected barangays in Pikit, Cotabato Province. Stratified random sampling was employed. Crime prevention was assessed through anti-street crime, community-based anti-crime, and crime awareness strategies, while community engagement was operationalized through satisfaction with safety and security, respect for police, and trust in police. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rank-order correlation, and median quantile regression.

Results: Anti-street crime strategies were rated Moderate (M = 3.37, SD = 0.487), while community-based anti-crime (M = 3.50, SD = 0.607) and crime awareness strategies (M = 3.67, SD = 0.664) were rated High. Overall community engagement was High (M = 3.57, SD = 0.569). All three strategies were positively and significantly correlated with community engagement: anti-street crime (ρ = .560), community-based anti-crime (ρ = .836), and crime awareness (ρ = .767), all p < .001. Regression results likewise showed significant positive associations, with the largest coefficient for community-based anti-crime strategy (b = .597).

Conclusions: Residents generally reported favorable perceptions of crime-prevention strategies and police-community relations. The findings indicate significant positive associations between perceived crime-prevention efforts and community engagement, particularly community-based strategies. However, the cross-sectional design precludes causal conclusions, and the strong correlations may partly reflect shared measurement. The findings are limited to the five barangays and support further research using behavioral measures and longitudinal designs.

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Published

2026-09-08

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Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026): Review of Studies on Criminology, Sociology, and Law

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Copyright (c) 2026 Nieves Faye Tabusares, Marc Bever O. Dima, Hayroden O. Batua, Jasper Lamanilao, Salman A. Taluno, Joesel B. Villegas, RCrim. (Author)

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How to Cite

Tabusares, N. F., Dima, M. B., Batua, H., Lamanilao, J., Taluno, S., & Villegas, J. (2026). Residents’ Perceptions Of Crime-Prevention Strategies And Police-Community Relations In Selected Barangays Of Pikit, Cotabato. Review of Studies on Criminology, Sociology, and Law, 1(1), 35-50. https://journals.nexoraird.com/rscsl/article/view/3