PNP Crime Incident Recording System Policy

Legal bases and related references

The circular anchors on E. O. 386, which establishes a National Crime Information System.
The circular cites R.A. 6975, as amended by R.A. 8551, which governs the PNP.
The circular cites Local Government Code of 1991 in relation to crime reporting and barangay coordination.
The circular references CPNP as Instructions.
The circular incorporates Standard Operating Procedure No. 2012-001 on the Incident Recording System (procedure in recording incident reports in the police blotter) dated March 26, 2012.
The circular references NAPOLCOM Resolution No. 92-39 adopting a new crime reporting format.
The circular references LOI 37/10 on a PNP Quality Service Lane component under the Model Police Station Project.
The circular attaches a CIRS flowchart as Annex “A” and a New IRF as Annex “B”.

Policy rationale and purpose

The circular addresses deliberate under-reporting of crime incidents at the police station level resulting in inaccurate and decreased crime statistics.
The circular addresses point shaving and inconsistency in recording procedures across police stations.
The circular targets efficiency and accuracy in recording complaints without unnecessary repeated interviews by multiple officers.
The circular requires adoption of a uniform standard so that true crime data can be determined and used for anti-criminality policies and programs.
The circular’s stated purpose is to provide a uniform procedure in recording crime incidents into an electronic database system in all police stations and offices nationwide.

Definitions and operational terms

Crimes are acts or omissions violating the Revised Penal Code or Special laws.
Crime Incident Recording System (CIRS) is an electronic database system that facilitates crime documentation and systematic storage and retrieval, enabling quick transmission of crime information from lower PNP units to National Headquarters at Camp Crame, Quezon City.
Crime Registrar is PNP personnel in charge of recording and submitting crime statistics to higher office, preferably a Non-Uniformed Personnel, and is responsible for upkeep and maintenance of all crime data.
Database includes all incidents entered and stored into the CIRS, organized so a computer program can quickly select data by fields, records, and files.
Desk Officer is the Duty PNCO who receives and records crime incident complaints and dispatches in the Police Blotter, and initially attends to requests for police assistance.
Duty Investigator refers to any police officer designated/assigned to conduct inquiry using systematic procedures to identify witnesses, recover evidence, arrest, and prosecute perpetrators, and is responsible for encoding entries from the IRF to the CIRS with assistance of the Crime Registrar.
Incident Record Form (IRF) is an accountable form filled out by a complainant (assisted by the QSL Duty Officer) containing data on complainant, victim and/or suspect, including incident narrative; it becomes an official document once signed by investigators and the reporting person, and becomes the first document in the case folder after being recorded in the police blotter and uploaded to the CIRS.
Investigator-on-Case (IOC) refers to any police officer designated/assigned to conduct the inquiry toward identifying witnesses, recovering evidence, and arresting and prosecuting perpetrators.
Key Responsible Officers include Crime Registrars of police stations and investigation units; Chiefs of Investigation of police stations, police provincial/city offices, and police regional offices/NOSUs; Investigators-on-Case; and Chiefs of Police and Station Commanders.
Police Blotter is an 18a x 12a blue or pink hard-bound logbook containing the daily register of all crime incident reports and official summaries of arrests and other significant events/activities.
Quality Service Lane (QSL) is a customer-friendly service desk manned by a Desk Officer and other designated PNCOs under supervision of the Duty Officer to provide the initial point of contact for complainants.
Under-Reporting of Crimes is the deliberate non-submission of police-blotter-recorded crime incidents by responsible officers, causing inaccurate and decreased crime statistics.

Scope and coverage rules

The system applies to all police stations and units with investigative functions requiring crime-recording to a nationwide electronic database.
All crime incidents reported by victims, witnesses, or reportees must be recorded and uploaded into the CIRS.
The crime volume of a police jurisdiction includes all cases recorded in the Police Blotter, cases reported to the barangay, and cases from other law enforcement agencies.
For CIRS uploading, a checkbox must indicate when the incident was gathered from the barangay or by other law enforcement agencies.
For incidents reported to the police but referred back to the barangay, the report must indicate whether the case is amicably settled, under investigation, or referred back to the police with a certification to file action.
Non-crime-data entered and stored into the CIRS must be maintained for future reference, including examples such as lost wallet, insurance claim, missing persons, and conflagration.
If a non-crime incident is later found to be a crime incident, the initial CIRS information must be corrected/updated accordingly.

CIRS guidelines, principles, and standards

The implementation must be guided by principles that require the Desk Officer and QSL Duty Officer to accord clients due respect and courtesy, guide and assist them, provide station services, and ensure the complainant leaves fully satisfied.
Implementation must ensure gathering and inclusion of all crime data reported in the police station into the system, eliminating discretion of the Desk Officer and Chief of Police on whether an incident is recorded.
The Desk Officer must initially determine whether an incident is a crime and endorse the complainant to the Duty Investigator, who assigns the nature of the crime based on the Revised Penal Code or Special laws.
All police stations and units with investigative functions must be equipped with CIRS-installed computers as the source of the nationwide database.
A technically trained and qualified Crime Registrar must be permanently assigned in all police stations and IDM offices to prepare, consolidate, maintain crime data files, and ensure continuity and standard implementation.
Use of the IRF must be implemented in all police stations and offices with investigative functions; it must be filled from complainant-supplied data and immediately encoded into the computer prior to uploading into the CIRS.
Uniform adoption requires unconditional commitment of the Chief of Police, Station Commander, and Provincial, District, City, and Regional Directors, while IDM Officers must ensure clear articulation, understanding, and usage across the organization.
The Crime Registrar must be permanently assigned and is responsible for system data integrity through encoding, transcribing, printing, and certification functions under supervision.

Operational procedure for uploading incidents

The circular requires a general rule that all crime incidents must be recorded by the Desk Officer and Duty Investigator, and eventually uploaded into the CIRS with assistance of the Crime Registrar.
The Desk Officer must receive the report, initially record the complaint into the Police Blotter by indicating entry number, date, name, place, and nature of the incident.
The Desk Officer must indicate in the Police Blotter the name of the investigator to whom the incident was referred, and the investigator must affix signature acknowledging receipt.
If the incident involves commission of a crime, the Desk Officer must endorse the complainant to the Duty Investigator; otherwise the complainant must be referred to the Duty Officer for concern handling.
The Crime Registrar, under mandatory supervision of the Duty Investigator, must commence entry into the CIRS and supply information obtained from the complainant, including personal circumstances, victim, and suspect profile as described in the narrative.
The Duty Investigator and complainant must review together the incident summary and details provided by the complainant.
If the complainant has no correction or additional information, the Crime Registrar must immediately upload the data into the CIRS with assistance of the Duty Investigator.
If corrections are needed, the entry must return to data-entry mode, incorporate changes, and be reviewed again by the complainant until final corrections are made.
After storing final data in the CIRS, the Crime Registrar must print the completed IRF with assistance of the Duty Investigator.
The Crime Registrar must print three copies of the signed IRF, signed by both the Duty Investigator and the complainant:
- Copy 1 must be provided to the complainant as receipt and proof that key responsible officers attended to the client.
- Copy 2 must be kept by the IOC and must be the first document in the case folder.
- Copy 3 must be given to the Desk Officer and returned to the Crime Registrar after the Desk Officer transcribes IRF details into the Police Blotter.
The Desk Officer must transcribe and enter the contents of the third copy of the accomplished IRF into the Police Blotter, producing a second blotter entry that shows the IRF number and the initial (first entry) entry number as references.
The Desk Officer’s second blotter entry must include a second entry number, date and time of reception of the IRF, incident details, signatures of the Desk Officer and the Crime Registrar, and the case disposition.
The Desk Officer must make daily accounting of all crime incidents reported during his tour and referred to the Duty Investigator, with the list included in the daily journal, and must follow up and review the status of incidents referred.
The Duty Investigator must ensure all signed IRFs acted upon and the Crime Registrar’s actions are written down in the Police Blotter detailing the IRF number, incident narrative, and case disposition.
The Crime Registrar must receive IRFs from the Desk Officer and must affix his signature in the Police Blotter record entry of the crime incident.
If there is no internet connectivity at the workstation during encoding, the procedure still applies, and the Crime Registrar must bring a soft copy to the nearest police unit/office with internet connectivity for uploading into the CIRS.
The system records must be updated from time to time by the IOC as to case development and disposition after filing, after issuance of a Warrant of Arrest, after arrest of suspect, and including key progress dates such as inquest, arraignment, trial, up to final promulgation.

Assignment of duties and responsibilities

The DIDM assumes directorial staff responsibility for efficient and effective implementation, evaluates crime reporting performance of unit commanders, institutes measures for faithful compliance, provides training on CIRS operations and user training at Police Regional Offices, and prepares periodic assessments of crimes for command and other agencies.
The Directorate for Comptrollership (DC) provides financial support for smooth implementation and performs necessary tasks for efficient and effective execution.
The Directorate for Police Community Relations (DPCR) disseminates policy guidelines to stakeholders with law enforcement functions and establishes rapport for stakeholder cooperation in submission of required crime data.
The DICTM assists DIDM, provides continuous technical support and user training cascading, develops a program in CIRS for entering barangay and other law-enforcement cases, and includes a field for Wanted/Missing Persons.
National Operating Support Units (NOSUs) must provide copies of accomplished IRFs of crime incidents they took cognizance of to the Police Stations where the incident transpired, and must monitor case progress and regularly submit updates to the station where the case was encoded.
Regional Directors must ensure all police units are equipped with operational CIRS computers; review Provincial/District office crime data and conduct crime trend analysis at the regional level; monitor compliance and follow up lower units; ensure submitted reports reflect actual, accurate true crime situation; and coordinate with other law enforcement agencies through the Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Commission (RLECC) for cooperation and crime data obtained by other agencies.
Provincial/District/City Directors must ensure faithful compliance of lower units in encoding incidents into the system; conduct crime trend analysis at their level; ensure reports reflect actual, accurate true crime situation; supervise the Crime Registrar for maintenance and consolidation of crime data from lower units and other enforcement agencies; and monitor compliance of lower units.
Chiefs of Police and Station Commanders must supervise the Chief Investigator, IOC, and Crime Registrar in uploading CIRS entries and reporting crime statistics to higher offices, and must correct and report erroneous counting of crime incidents.
Chiefs, Investigation Sections/Branches/Divisions must ensure accuracy of data entered according to the incident recording flow certified by the Chief of Investigation before submission to National Headquarters, indicate whether the incident was recorded in barangay blotter or by other law enforcement agencies, and gather relevant data from other agencies in their areas of responsibility.
Duty Investigators must conduct interviews of complainant/reportee to obtain circumstances surrounding the incident; supervise the Crime Registrar for proper and accurate encoding; and ensure all accomplished IRFs are recorded by the Desk Officer into the Police Blotter.
Investigators-on-Case (IOC) must closely monitor case progress and submit progress updates to the Crime Registrar to update entries in CIRS until final promulgation.
Crime Registrars must encode entries from the IRF into the CIRS under supervision of the Duty Investigator and ensure transcribed entries in the Police Blotter; print three IRF copies and distribute them as required; retrieve the third copy after Desk Officer transcribes in the Police Blotter; consolidate accomplished IRFs from the Desk Officer daily; exercise confidentiality and integrity in handling and storing all crime data; certify correctness and accuracy of data contained in the Unit Crime Periodic Report; and under IOC supervision, regularly update CIRS entries as to case progress until final promulgation.

Administrative sanctions for non-compliance

Key Responsible Officers are liable to administrative relief and Pre-Charge Investigation for failure to report, encode, and update crime incidents into the CIRS.
Regional/District/Provincial Chiefs/Officers of NOSUs are liable to administrative relief and Pre-Charge Investigation for failure to submit accomplished IRFs of crime incidents they took cognizance of, and for failure to closely monitor case progress and submit updates to the police stations where incidents transpired.
Directors of CPOs, PPOs, NCRPO Police Districts, and PROs are liable to administrative relief and Pre-Charge Investigation for Command Responsibility due to failure to supervise encoding and submission of crime data to higher headquarters.
Directors of NOSUs are liable to administrative relief and Pre-Charge Investigation for failure to supervise submission of IRFs and failure to submit updates of cases to the concerned Police Station.

Effect of implementation and update reach

The circular establishes a uniform electronic crime recording approach using the CIRS as the working basis for policies and programs on anti-criminality measures.
The system requires consistent national database storage and access to promote nationwide availability of crime data.
The system’s CIRS design includes filtering of non-crime data to improve accuracy of crime statistics.
The system requires continuous updates in CIRS by the IOC to reflect case progress from filing through final promulgation.