Have you ever wondered, what is police usually doing? The police we usually see patrol our town daily by driving a motorcycle or police car. But is this what they just do? Of course not. Today we’re going to see what are the duties of police officers, and how they are achieving their ultimate goals for our society. There will also be an interview with a police officer working in the Philippines. He shared with us everything about how working as a police officer feels like. If you want to know about WHAT IS A POLICE OFFICER this article is perfect for you!

Basic information

Their duty

Their role is to maintain peace and order within society by not just imposing punishment on a criminal, but also by preventing a crime from occurring or saving people’s lives immediately from sudden danger. To achieve these ultimate goals, they usually do duties below:

Patrolling and crime prevention, Emergency response, law enforcement and investigation, Arrest and detention, Traffic control and accident investigation, Community engagement and education, Specialized unit (e.g., K9 units, SWAT, cybercrime units, etc.)

Today we interviewed a police officer in the Philippines. He is a police officer working in community engagement. There is a lot of information about being a police officer as a job, but little information about police officers as individuals, such as why they work or issues they have. To dive into a police officer’s “real voice.”

Who are you?

My name is Lisondra. I am a police officer in a small town called Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines.

What is your job?

We are police officers, and we make sure people follow regulations to maintain peace and order in this society. My specific duty for now is to look after an area that I was assigned to, and engage with people there while ensuring no crime is occurring. This place is especially crowded as it is in front of a big school, and nearby there are some of the biggest malls in this city, so I need to stay alert.

“How infront of the school looks like when it is crowded”

What kind of skill do you use?

I guess I use communication skills to interact with people. You might assume that police need a strong body or some kind of fighting technique like karate. Well, in some aspects we do, but most of the time we use communication skills rather than those techniques.

By interacting with citizens, we can know what is happening and how people are feeling, whether satisfied or worried about it. It seems very plain, right? But by each police officer doing this, acknowledging what is happening in their community, and addressing issues, the entire society will be more ordered and satisfied. Our work is dynamic.

Why did you become a police officer?

It’s my dream job. I wanted to be a police officer from childhood since I always wanted to help society and be needed by them. I am very satisfied because I feel I am serving my people well in this society. I think this is because I love my job. Since I love my job from my heart, I try to help people rather than just making them follow the rules.

What is a good point of doing this job?

When we are patrolling an area like this, some people come to us and thank us. When I hear people thanking us for what we are doing, I feel satisfied and grateful to myself for being a police officer.

What is a bad point?

Criticism and prejudice. Some, I mean most people, think we are evil bosses. So they are afraid of interacting with us. For example, people think we are here to punish them. Well, if there are people who are not following the rules, it is our duty to punish them. But our ultimate goal is to secure people’s safety. We punish people to ensure others’ safety. We are here to watch and make sure that people are living safely. Although we are always working for people here, they often think of us as an enemy, and this is the sad part of my job.

Are there any problems in this job?

① The number of police officers is decreasing in Cagayan de Oro City. So there are some places where a shortage of officers is occurring. This is a big problem because if we try to cover places that we didn’t have to before, we cannot dedicate 100% to the areas we used to secure. This makes it more difficult to interact with the community and solve issues there.

② Separating from your daily life. All police officers are people. So we also have stereotypes or personal values. But while we are working, we cannot let them interfere with our jobs because it can sometimes cause inequality or injustice. We, as police officers, need to represent justice and equality under the law. So separating from our daily life is very challenging, and if we fail, it could cause a problem.

Your dream

I want to retire without any problems occurring. When I retire, I want everyone to give me a cordial celebration and appreciation as a great police officer. I also want a family. I am still a young man, so I want to have my own family and live a happy life with them.