Community Crimes Encountered by Barangay Official in Bagong Silangan, Quezon City

Vol.3, No.1A

Abstract

Before governments can respond fully to crime threats, they must have a broad understanding of the situation. The government, particularly crime prevention planners, must be informed of accompaniment factors in committing crimes and other important data to address the problem responsively. The same procedures also apply in small communities. Barangay officials are responsible for keeping their community at peace and crime-free. Hence, these days, communities face a severe crisis that hardly affects individuals' lives. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is drastically changing people's lives. The barangay officers of Bagong Silangan Quezon City are being challenged and have to think rationally during this pandemic. They must exert a double effort on their job they needed to maintain peace and order in their community and to sustain the needs of every individual residing therein so that it can eliminate the community crimes that may arise in these trying times. This pandemic has brought extreme grief, isolation, loss of income, and fear, which triggers mental health conditions in individuals. Many people may face increased levels of alcohol, cigarettes, and drug use, which can indicate crime perpetration. Left with no choice, people started to do misdeeds. For this reason, the researchers conducted this research to help the current and future barangay officials effectively manage the crime rates in their respective communities.

The researchers used the descriptive method to determine the community's perception of the response to the community crimes encountered by the Barangay officials of Barangay Bagong Silangan Quezon City during the pandemic.

The researchers interviewed the barangay officials of Bagong Silangan Quezon City using questionnaires. The results show that barangay officials ensure that everyone wears a facemask in public places during the effectiveness of the community quarantine to prevent the spreading of COVID-19. Moreover, abuse was the highest reported crime in the barangay, whereas illegal use of insignia is the highest reported felony. Furthermore, the barangay officials controlled peace and order by protecting property and lives to prevent detection of crime and performance of other services. Increased working hours are one of the challenges barangay officials face during this pandemic. The respondents highly recommend the researchers' proposals to help maintain and control the crimes encountered by the barangay officials.