PNP Vision, Mission, Values, and Human Rights

PNP Vision

• By 2030, the PNP aspires to be a highly capable, effective, and credible police service.
• The PNP aims to work in partnership with responsible communities.
• It seeks to create a safer place to live, work, and do business.

Importance of Human Rights to Law Enforcement

• Policing has a direct relevance to economic, social, and cultural rights.
• Police play an important role in ensuring a safe environment.
• This environment allows individuals to realize their full range of rights, whether social, economic, civil, or political.

PNP Mission

• Enforce the law.
• Prevent and control crime.
• Maintain peace and order.
• Ensure public safety and internal security, with active community support.

PNP Core Values

• Service, Honor, and Justice,

PNP Motto

• "We Serve and Protect".

Basic Standard 1: Equal Protection of the Law

• Everyone is entitled to equal protection under the law, without discrimination.
• This protection extends especially against violence or threat.
• Basic Standard 1 implementation involves promoting and protecting human dignity and maintaining and upholding the human rights of all persons.
• Everyone has the right to liberty and security of the person.
• No one should be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile.
• All persons deprived of liberty have the right to not suffer torture.
• Everyone has the right to a fair trial.
• Everyone has the right to freedom of movement, peaceful assembly, and expression.

Basic Standard 2: Treatment of Victims

• Treat all victims of crime with compassion and respect.
• Protect their safety and privacy.
• Measures should ensure the protection and safety of victims from intimidation and retaliation.
• Inform victims without delay about the availability of health and social services.
• Provide specialist care for women who have suffered violence without delay.
• Develop investigative techniques that don't further degrade women victims of violence.
• Give attention to victims with special needs such as race, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, language, religion, nationality, political or other opinion, and disability.

Basic Standard 3: Use of Force

• Force should only be used when strictly necessary.
• It must be used to the minimum extent required by the circumstances.
• Implementation of Basic Standard 3 adheres to Basic Standards 4 and 5.
• Exercise restraint and act proportionately to the seriousness of the offense and the legitimate objective.
• Minimize damage and injury; respect and preserve human life.
• Render all possible assistance and medical aid to any injured or affected persons at the earliest possible moment.
• Ensure that relatives or close friends of the injured or affected person are notified at the earliest possible moment.
• Injury or death caused by police force should be promptly reported and investigated.

Basic Standard 4: Policing Unlawful Assemblies

• Avoid using force when policing unlawful but non-violent assemblies.
• When dispersing violent assemblies, use force only to the minimum extent necessary.
• Basic Standard 4 implementation involves avoiding the use of force when policing non-violent assemblies.
• The use of firearms is limited to Basic Standard 5 objectives.

Basic Standard 5: Lethal Force

• Lethal force should be used only when strictly unavoidable.
• Use it to protect your life or the lives of others.
• Implementation requires that police officers must not use firearms except for self-defense or defending others against imminent death or serious injury.

Basic Standard 6: Arrest Procedures

• Arrest only when legal grounds exist.
• Ensure the arrest is carried out according to lawful procedures.
• Arrest or detention should occur according to the law and by competent officials.
• Police must exercise only the powers granted to them under the law.
• Officials must identify themselves upon arrest.
• Anyone arrested must be informed of the reasons for the arrest.
• Police officers should wear name tags or numbers for clear identification.
• Police/military vehicles must be clearly identified with number plates.

Basic Standard 7: Treatment of Detainees

• Detainees should have prompt access to family, legal representatives, and medical assistance.
• Unconvicted detainees must be presumed innocent and treated as such.
• Detainees should be promptly told of their rights, including the right to lodge complaints about their treatment.
• Detainees who don't understand the language used by authorities can have an interpreter.
• Foreign detainees shall be informed of right to communicate with family and their consular/diplomatic mission.
• Relatives should be able to visit as soon as possible and be able to correspond with the detainee to verify their well-being.
• Detainees must communicate confidentially with lawyers to prepare a defense..
• Independent doctor should exam detainees to see torture, rape or abuse.
• Thereafter, medical care and treatment needed.

Basic Standard 8: Humane Treatment of Detainees

• All detainees must be treated humanely.
• Inflict no torture or ill-treatment.
• Refuse to obey any order to do so.
• No person can be tortured or being crude.
• Law officials should know rape and similar actions against women.
• Detainee may not be compelled to confess or testify.
• While being interrogated no detainee can subjected to threats which impairs his or her capacity of decision or judgement.
• Only females can search detainees bodies.
• Children will be in the shortest possible time.
• They should have immediate access for relatives, legal counsel etc.
• Juvenile detainees must be separated by adults.
• Detainees should not have sexual abuse or torture.

Basic Standard 9: Extrajudicial Executions

• Do not carry out, order, or cover up extrajudicial executions or "disappearances."
• Refuse to obey any order to do so.
• No one can be arbitrarily deprived of life.
• This can be unlawful with someone from a level of government.

Basic Standard 10: Reporting Breaches

• Report all breaches of these standards to your senior officer and the public prosecutor's office.
• Ensure steps are taken to investigate these breaches.

Human Rights-Based Policing (HRBP)

• HRBP is comprehensive, systematic, and institutional compliance with international human rights standards.
• Applies to police and law enforcement functions.

PNP Human Rights Obligations

• Respect: Refrain from interfering with people's rights.
• Protect: Implement laws providing equal protection from human rights violations.
• Fulfill: Establish institutions and systems that enable people to claim and enjoy their rights.

Gross Human Rights Violations (HRVs)

• Enforced Disappearance (ED): Taking people into custody and concealing their whereabouts.
• Extra-judicial Killing (EJK): Unlawful and deliberate killings ordered by the government or with its consent.
• Torture: Extreme pain through physical or psychological means to elicit information.

Police/Military Human Rights Violations

• Unlawful use of force.
• Arbitrary arrest or detention.
• Irregular or unreasonable actions.
• Torture or cruel treatment.
• Enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing.

Common Causes of Popular Dissatisfaction

• Selective enforcement of law.
• Rude behavior towards human rights.
• Ignorance of human rights laws.
• Differential attitudes based on socio-cultural status.
• Lack of accountability and insensitivity towards victims.
• Violation of law and impunity.