Republic of the Philippines NATIONAL POLICE COMMISSION NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF, PNP Camp Crame, Quezon City April 8, 2017 PNP MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NUMBER 2017 -O'3 7 REVISED GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES ON THE USE OF SHORT MESSAGING SYSTEM (SMS) IN THE REPORTING OF SIGNIFICANT INCIDENTS 4. REFERENCE: Memorandum from Chief, PNP dated October 11, 2011 with subject Guidelines and Procedures on Short Messaging System (SMS) of Significant Incidents. 2. RATIONALE: This Memorandum Circular (MC) establishes a clear and uniform policy in reporting of significant incidents through the use of Short Messaging System (SMS). 3. SITUATION: Nowadays, the use of SMS as means of communication in the PNP is indispensable. Reports on significant incidents are received and instructions and directives are disseminated to concerned Unit Commander/s through the System. Previously, reports on significant incidents were received by the NHQ PNP after they have already been aired live in broadcast or published in the tri-media. Consequently, the PNP was placed in a bad light especially when civilian authority asked the C, PNP or any member of the Command Group about the details of said incident. Similarly, the PNP was often upstaged by media in providing quick, and on- the-spot reports to the public. It is presumed that any delay of action by the PNP on law enforcement undertakings gives negative public perception of the organization's ability to carry out its mandated functions. There were also times when the President personally called the C, PNP and inquired about an incident which the C, PNP was not yet aware because of the delayed reporting of the PNP field units. The Short Messaging System (SMS) is the key to address this concem. With the System, it enables the PNP leadership to keep abreast with the latest significant incidents nationwide. Apart from disseminating PNP command decisions Page 1 of 6and guidance to concemed field unit commanders, recipients could also send their reports/reply to their superiors through the system in fastest means. 4. PURPOSE: To provide guidelines and procedures for police operating offices/units to address the communications gap within the organization and ensure the prompt reporting of significant incidents. 5. DEFINITION OF TERMS: a. Significant Incident/Event — or events referred under paragraph 8 of this MC and which is considered important to be monitored by the PNP for purposes of effectively managing the operational missions of the organization. b. InitialFlash Report — a brief dispatch giving preliminary information on an incident or event and informing in advance a higher office or another unit of any occurrence of significant value within the AOR of the reporting unit, or rendered by a unit outside of its jurisdiction on an incident as the first responder. c. Interactive Office — other than the NHQ PNP, but may either be a national and regional NOSUs and NASUs with regional, provincial, district, city or municipal level units/offices which exercise administrative and operational supervision over said units/offices. . Police Operation Casualty or Casualties - refer to police personnel who are either killed, wounded or missing and thereafter presumed dead by competent court, while in the performance of police duties related to anti-criminality, counter-terrorism, and police community ‘operations. e. Critical incident — is any emergency event, whether man-made or natural that requires the implementation of special tasks by one or more of the urgent services of the govemment and will generally include the involvement, either directly or indirectly of the Philippine National Police. 6. GUIDELINES: a. Procedures in reporting of incident thru the SMS: 41) Get the initial detail of the incident: a) The concemed MPS/CPS/Station will immediately prepare the report and send through SMS simultaneously to the PPO and PNP NOC. The report may however be sent to the PRO and the CPNP directly as well. The SMS report should be brief, concise, Page 20f 6and complete depicting the 5Ws and 1H. (Note: The SMS report ‘should reach the NOC NLT one hour after the incident.) Written report of said incident should immediately follow after the SMS; b) The concemed CPO/PPOINCR District will immediately forward the SMS report simultaneously to the PRO and the NOC. The report may however be sent to the CPNP directly as well. The written report of said incident should immediately follow after the ‘SMS; ©) The concemed PRO will immediately forward the SMS report simultaneously to the NOC and the CPNP. The written report of said incident should immediately follow after the SMS; and ) Once the NOC receives an SMS on a significant incident, the NOC will immediately prepare an SMS to be sent to the following: 1) PNP Command Group; 2) Quad Staff, 3) C, PIO; 4) PSR; 5) AFPCC; 6) OSILG Monitoring Center; and 7) DO Group, other Key Officers, and concemed units. FLOWCHART Reporting of Significant Incident through SMS Page 3 of 6b. General Guidelines: The following are guidelines to minimize instances of late and incomplete incident reports: 1) In preparing narrative reports, all units and offices shall comply with certain criteria in writing and submitting significant incident reports to higher headquarters or offices, such as: Brevity, Clarity, ‘Completeness, Timeliness, Relevance, Security, Accuracy, Consistency, Impartiality, Sense of Propriety, Responsiveness, and peat 2) Initialfiash reports shall be used for purposes of informing a higher office in advance regarding the occurrence of a significant incident. The initiallash report is not necessarily a complete written narrative. However, within three hours from the time of rendering such advance information, the spot report or the narrative report shall be submitted. 3) In case of initial/fash reports on significant events, lower units that have facilities (if possible, down to the police station or police precinct level) shall fumish the report by SMS Message or fax directly to the PNP National Operations Center. It shall be sent simultaneously with the report to the next higher office/unit of the reporting unit. NOC has already published and institutionalized the PNP Key Directory Telephone System (PNPKDTS), a compendium of all cellular phone numbers of Key Officers down the line or the entire gamut of PNP Precincts. 4) This MC prescribes the procedures to be followed in the dispatch of significant incidents reports from the scene of the incident to NHQ PNP, Attn: PNP National Operations Center (PNP NOC), to be sent through SMS for initial information of the CPNP, Command Group and concemed Directorial Staff. ¢) Significant incidents: The following are considered significant incidents: 1) Incidents involving prominent personalities, such as: a) Elected and appointed national and local goverment officials down to barangay level, b) Foreign nationals, diplomats (ambassadors, consuls, attachés, other embassy officials), tourists, and “balikbayans”; ¢) Religious leaders (priest, nuns, imams, pastors, etc.); and Page 4 0f 6) Other personalities whose involvement in incidents may result to controversies or publicity. 2) Incidents involving national security, such as: a) Attacks on cities, towns, barangays, and other populated areas; b) Attacks or raids on military and police installations; ©) Raids, harassments and ambuscades of military troops and Police personnel; 4) Assassinations of govemment officials, military, and police personnel; e) Encounters with dissident terrorists, syndicates, and organized crime groups; f) Terrorist related incidents such as hijacking, hostage-taking, kidnapping, burning, etc.; 9) Bombing and explosions; and h) Mass Actions. 3) Heinous crimes (murder, homicide, rape, drug or kidnapping cases) involving prominent personalities; 4) Arson cases and structural fires affecting two or more families or with an estimated damage of Php500,000.00 or more; 5) Robbery, hold-up, hijacking, camapping, etc. perpetrated by armed Persons/groups; 6) Arrest/neutralization of wanted persons; 7) Enforcement of Special Laws (such as PD 1866/RA 8294; PD 1602; PD 533; PD 54; PD 534; RA 9165, etc...); 8) Rescue of kidnap or abduction victim/s; 9) Natural and Man-made Disasters/Calamities and its related activifies (such as evacuation, search and rescue and relief operations); and 10)Jail breaks, escape of prisoners/detainees, and jail/prison riots. Page Sof 6‘The reports on significant incidents can be sent to the following contact details of PNP NOC: SMS Platform Telefax (0998)5357250 (Smart) (02) 722-0540 (0917)3119570 (Globe) (02) 724-8749 7. REPEALING CLAUSE: ‘Any violation of this MC shall be a ground for pre-charge investigation and relief if the personnel concemed is found remiss in his/her duties and responsibilities. = again Page 6 of 6