UNIVERSITY OF PANGASINAN – PHINMA

COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATION

CRI 190

Reference: PNP Manual

REVISED PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES (September 2021)
(Rule 4 Public Safety Operations, page 80-110)

PNP Critical Incident Management Operational Procedures (CIMOP)

Human-induced (man-made) critical incidents are the responsibilities of the National and Local
Peace and Order Council (NPOC)
Natural calamities and disasters are the responsibilities of the National and Local Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
Lower-level organizations of the NPOC and NDRRMC take cognizance of the responsibilities
ascribed in their national organization.
The PNP, being at the forefront of crisis situations, must play an active role by organizing its own
Critical Incident Management Committee (CIMC) to support the NPOC and NDRRMC.
Crisis Management Committee (CMC)
- It is primarily concerned with the formulation of crisis management procedures, integration and
orchestration of government, military/police and public efforts towards the prevention and control of
crisis incidents.
- All actions and decisions taken by the CMC shall be within the policies laid down by the
corresponding Peace and Order Councils (POCs).
National POC (NPOC)
-It is chaired by the Secretary of Interior and Local Government (SILG) , is tasked to contribute
to the strategies of the National Security Council, coordinate and monitor, and serve as a forum for
deliberation for peace and order concerns. This Council outlines its roles and responsibilities to
threats to peace and order.
Incident Command System (ICS)
ICS shall be adopted as a template in responding to critical incidents. This provides guidance to the
PNP’s roles on how to organize its assets to respond to an incident and processes to manage the
response through its successive stages.
A. Types of Critical Incidents
PNP Incident Management Operations complement the Peace and Order Councils (POCs) –
CMCs and DRRMC from the National, Regional, Provincial, City and Municipal levels. The
procedures under this Rule shall be observed by all PNP Units/Offices with respect to their roles in
addressing human induced incidents and police responses to natural calamity and disaster (PNP
MC 2013-021 “PNP Critical Incident Management Operational Procedures”).
1) Natural Calamity and Disaster. In the event of natural calamity and disaster, the PNP shall
act as the first responder in the affected area in order to provide area security and support in
the conduct of search, rescue and retrieval operations to be spearheaded by the area
DRRMCs.
 2) Human Induced Incidents. In the event of human induced incidents, the PNP shall respond
to two different situations:
a. To manage an incident that could be resolved by ordinary police response without the
involvement of the Crisis Management Committee (CMC);

b. To manage an incident that needs a CMC–directed operation requiring the

implementation of special tasks by one or more of the urgent services of the Philippine
government.
Both actions of the PNP in either situation follow the ICS operational procedures.
All actions of the PNP in addressing these critical incidents are in support to the POC – CMCs and
DRRMCs with common objectives of saving lives and properties, resolution of the critical incidents
at the earliest possible time, and restoration of normalcy in the affected areas.
B. Stages in Disaster Management
1. Pre - Disaster Stage - Pro-active Assessment. When there is no disaster or calamity:
a) Risk Mapping and identification of disaster-prone areas;
b) Identification of staging areas, evacuation routes and evacuation centers;
c) Disaster response drills, simulation exercises and trainings for flood, earthquake, fire etc;
d) Meeting of regular Task Groups and Sub-Task Groups together with respective levels of
the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils;
e) Capability audit (manpower, machines, materials, money and methods);
f) Awareness campaign through TRIMP; and
g) Community mobilization activities such as but not limited to:
1. Sewerage clean-up;
2.De-clogging of waterways, canals, esteros; and
3. Clearing of unauthorized structures in disaster prone areas
2. Disaster Response Stage - Disaster Incident Management (Level 2 - Red). When there is an
impending natural calamity or when an unexpected human-induced incident and natural calamity
occur:
A. Natural Calamity
(1) Activation of Disaster Incident Management Task Groups (DIMTG);
(2) Coordination with NDRRMC to support its disaster response;
(3) Employment of alarm and warning systems such as the use of police sirens and other
portable warning systems capable of producing loud wailing sound.
(4) Pre-emptive evacuation of residents in affected areas in coordination with concerned
government agencies; and
(5) Provision of security in calamity area and support search, rescue and retrieval operation,
evacuation and emergency medical services in coordination with concerned DRRMC.
B. Human Induced Incident
(1) Activation of Critical Incident Management Task Group (CIMTG);
(2) Coordination with NPOC-CMC or its equivalent to support its crisis response;
 (3) Evacuation of residents in the crisis area in coordination with concerned government
agencies; and
(4) Provision of security in crisis area and support search, rescue and retrieval operation,
evacuation and emergency medical services in coordination with concerned agencies.
3) Post-Disaster Stage - Support to Recovery and Rehabilitation Efforts (Level 3- White).
a) Acquisition of Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) reports from
concerned Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council of the affected areas;
b) Deployment of personnel for relief operations;
c) Provision of security and traffic assistance to returning evacuees;
d) Submission of After Disaster Response Report to the C, PNP copy furnished DRRMC; and
e) Deactivation of the DIMTG/ CIMTG when the situation is already manageable in disaster-stricken
area.
In the Management of the Dead and Missing Persons (MDM) the PNP CL shall take the lead in
identifying the remains of victims during and after human-induced disasters, while the NBI shall
take the lead in the identification of remains of victims during and after a natural calamity.
c. Alert Levels During Human-Induced Critical Incident. Terrorism and threat group alert level
shall be disseminated by TDI to all concerned offices based on the information provided by NICA.
1) Level 1 (Low) – There is no information to suggest a specific human-induced critical incident
may occur.
2) Level 2 (Moderate) –Human-induced critical incident is possible, but not likely.
3) Level 3 (High) – There is a strong possibility that human-induced critical incident may occur
within a short period of time.
4) Level 4 (Extreme) – A human-induced critical incident has just occurred or has just been pre-
empted;
Organization and Structure of CIMC/CIMTG/DIMTG
In accordance with Executive Order NO. 82, series of 2012, CMCs shall be established at all levels
specifically to take decisive action in responding to and managing human-induced crisis.
The local CMC, headed by the local chief executive as the responsible officer (RO), designates
the Incident Commander (IC) whenever a particular crisis occurs. If the LPU commander is
designated as the IC, the CIMTG shall be immediately activated to support the CMC.
1.The Crisis Management Committee (CMC)
The CMC (Annex “CC”) is primarily concerned with the formulation of crisis management
procedures, integration and orchestration of government, military/police and public efforts
towards the prevention and control of crisis incidents. All actions and decisions taken by the
CMC shall be within the policies laid down by the corresponding POCs.
2.The PNP NHQ Critical Incident Management Committee (PNP NHQ CIMC)
In support to the mandates of CMCs, the PNP NHQ shall organize its CIMC (Annex “DD”) with five
sub-committees namely: sub-committee on criminality, sub-committee on destabilization, public
disturbance and planned events, sub-committee on terrorism and CBRNE, subcommittee on public
health hazards and sub- committee on natural disasters.
This Committee shall take cognizance of all critical incidents, whether human-induced or
natural disaster, and shall supervise/ oversee operations of concerned offices/units to
mitigate its effects on the general populace. It is primarily concerned with the implementation of
policies and orchestration of PNP’s force and resources and efforts towards the control and
mitigation of critical incidents. The NHQ CIMTG/ DIMTG shall also be activated and shall serve as a
special operating task group of the CIMC.
3. The Critical Incident Management Task Group (CIMTG)
To carry out the mandates of the PNP CIMC on human-induced (man-made) incidents,
CIMTGs (Annexes “EE” and “EE-1”) shall be organized and replicated at the PRO/NCRPO
(Regional) level down to the PPO/CPO; CPS/MPS (City/Municipal) level following the ICS
structure. The IC shall be designated by the Chairman, CMC and CIMTG to be complemented
by the Officers of the Office/unit who has functional staff functions in the organization. At the
Regional/Provincial/City/Municipal level, the PNPs response to any crisis will be to activate the
CIMTG for human-induced incident and the DIMTG for natural disaster. The Regional
Director/Provincial/ City Director/COP shall have the authority to activate the CIMTG or DIMTG.

The following are considered as human-induced critical incidents:

a) Abduction involving prominent m) Sea Mishaps;
personalities such as national and local n) Bombings;
government officials, foreign nationals o) Indiscriminate active shooting;
(diplomats, ambassadors, consuls, p) Mass actions;
attaches, foreign tourists), religious q) Mass poisoning;
leaders from various religious r) Drone attack;
congregations, and other personalities s) Gas leaks;
whose involvement in incidents may t) Nuclear and Radiation Accidents;
result in controversies; u) Chemical Disaster;
b) Attacks on vital installations, v) Biological Disaster;
communities, and prominent w) Cyber-attacks;
personalities; x) Epidemic;
c) Jailbreaks; y) Pandemic;
d) Heinous crimes like assassination, z) Stampede; aa) Industrial Accident;
ambush involving prominent bb) Oil spills; and
personalities; cc) Other similar human-induced critical
e) Robbery hold-up, armored van incidents that may result in human
robbery, and bank robbery perpetrated by casualties and/or mass destruction of
syndicated groups; f) Election –Related properties and environment.
Violent Incident (ERV);
g) Major Events (International and
National);
h) Terrorism;
i) Conflagration Incidents;
j) Major Road Accidents;
k) Mass Transport Accidents;
l) Aircraft Hijackings;

4.Disaster Incident Management Task Group (DIMTG)

A DIMTG shall also be established and shall serve as a special operating task group of
the PNP Sub-Committee on Disaster Management (SCDM) and assist the PRO DIMTG
as the Chairman/Task Coordinator, PNP SCDM may direct. The NHQ PNP shall be
composed of the NSUs to be headed by the Director, PNP Special Action Force (SAF) as
Task Group Commander with the Deputy Director of PCRG as the Deputy Task Group
Commander (Annex “FF”).

DIMTGs shall also be activated at the PRO/PPO/CPO/CPS/MPS level depending on the

affected area (Annex “FF-1”). As a matter of rule, a Regional DIMTG shall be activated if two
or more provinces/cities are affected by disaster, a Provincial DIMTG shall be activated if two
or more municipalities are affected, and a Municipal DIMTG shall be activated if two or more
barangays are affected (LOI 35/10 “SAKLOLO REVISED”).

The following are considered natural disaster incidents:

a) Floods; g) Storm surge;

b) Landslides; h) Forest fire;
c) Volcanic Eruption; i) Drought;
d) Earthquake; j) Meteorite impact;
e) Tidal Wave; k) Tornado; and
f) Tsunami; l) Other natural hazards that may lead to
colossal loss of property and lives.

Hostage Situation
In handling hostage situations, the following guidelines and procedures shall be undertaken:

a. First Responders (FR)

1) Secure the incident scene and establish perimeter security.
2) Give situation update to concerned TOC and inform the Hostage Negotiation Team (HNT)
for possible deployment.
3) Do not allow unauthorized persons at the incident scene.
4) Gather information about the hostage-taker and hostage(s) from witnesses.
5) Re-route traffic flow (if necessary).
6) Evacuate all persons within the vicinity of the incident scene.
7) Clear areas for use of other responders.
8) Establish Advanced Command Post (ACP).
9) Initiate contact with the hostage-taker through any available means.
10) If the situation becomes volatile, request for deployment of HNT. However, at any given
time, if the hostage-taker is neutralized, the HNT may no longer be necessary.
11) Brief the TL, HNT of the situation and turn-over the conduct of negotiation.
12) Stay at the incident scene to maintain security, crowd and traffic control, preserve
evidence and take custody of witnesses.

c. Incident Commander (IC)

There shall be only one IC holding at least a senior rank and/or one with experience
in hostage/crisis situation or relative training. Until such time that he/she officially
designates a spokesperson, he/she may issue appropriate press statements and
continue to perform the role of the spokesperson.

1) The IC shall, upon assessment of the situation, prepare necessary plans including
but not limited to the following:
 a) Emergency Response Plan - depends on the threat posed by the hostage-takers and
need of the HNT and IC.
b) Breakout Plan - possibility of breakout shall be considered immediately upon drawing up
of negotiation strategy. This should be considered as one of the priority plans.
c) Delivery Plan - in case the hostage-takers change plans in the middle of the execution.
d) Surrender Plan - shall be drawn up in a way that the Hostages’ lives will not be
jeopardized.
e) Hostage Reception/Release - for security reasons, released hostages shall be contained
and isolated.
f) Collection Plan - safety of the police personnel involved is the priority consideration.

2) In handling hostage situations, the IC shall be guided by the following courses of

actions:
a) Negotiate
(1) Situation must be stabilized first before the start of the negotiation.
(2) All attempts to negotiate must be done by remote means.
(3) Adherence to the basic policy on safety of the hostage shall be paramount.
(4) Do not allow outsiders (non-law enforcement officers) into the negotiation process, unless their
presence is extremely necessary in the solution of the crisis. If so, they shall be properly advised on
the Do’s and Don’ts of the hostage negotiation.
(5) Provide relevant information to the tactical teams.
(6) All communication with the hostage-taker must be secured and protected.
(7) Always adhere to the ethics of negotiation.
b) Arrest
(1) Effect the arrest of the hostage-taker when situation warrants.
(2) Restrain the hostage-taker and conduct thorough search on his/her body and the immediate
vicinity of the incident scene.
(3) Inform the arrested person of the circumstances of his/ her arrest, and recite the Miranda
warning, and antitorture warning.
(4) All evidence must be secured and properly documented.
(5) Use reasonable force in arresting the hostage-taker.
(6) Facilitate the transport of the hostage-taker to the nearest police station.
c) Tactical assault
(1) It may be resorted to if the hostage-taker poses imminent danger of causing death or injury to
the negotiator or hostage.
(2) When all peaceful means were utilized and failed and the hostage-taker is determined to
become more violent.
(3) When peaceful resolution of the incident becomes impossible.
c. Hostage Negotiation Team (HNT)
Negotiators shall be designated by IC. No one shall be allowed to talk to the hostage-taker without
clearance from the Negotiator or IC. The HNT is directly under the control and supervision of the IC.
The HNT consists of the team leader/coordinator, primary negotiator, secondary negotiator,
intelligence liaison/recorder and board negotiator.
The HNT shall:
1) Set-up Negotiation Operation Center (NOC);
2) Initiate contact with the hostage-taker and obtain other information;
3) Give updates to the IC and brief him/her of the current situation;
4) Evaluate the necessity of resorting to other option without compromising the safety of the
hostage(s);
5) Recommend for activation of CMC and deployment of CIMTG as necessary;
6) Facilitate all deliveries, hostage receptions, and release and possible surrender of hostage-taker;
and
7) Attend to all meetings called by the CMC or IC.

d. Assault Team
An assault team shall be alerted for deployment in case the negotiation fails. Members of the
assault team shall wear authorized and easily recognizable uniform during the conduct of the
operation.
e. Crowd Control
A crowd control team shall be deployed to manage and control the crowd and augment the first
responders in securing the perimeter.
f. Support Personnel.
Support personnel shall include those in charge of managing traffic, firefighting, providing medical
emergency assistance, crime scene processing and rescue.
g. After the neutralization of the hostage-taker/s and rescue of the hostage/s, the following
processing and debriefing procedures shall be undertaken:
1) Clear and secure the crime scene to avoid contamination of evidence;
2) Evacuate the hostages and other injured persons;
3) Conduct CSI;
4) Conduct debriefing on the hostages and participating personnel;
5) Take the sworn statement of witnesses, hostages, hostage-taker, and key participants in the
incident;
6) Initiate case conferences to facilitate filing of cases;
7) Issue press statements;
8) Submit reports to higher headquarters; and
9) Deactivate the CMC and CIMTG.

Bomb Threat and Bomb Incident Emergency Response

a. Procedures for FR Upon Receipt of Any Bomb Threat:
1) Treat all threats as serious until proven otherwise;
2) Determine the exact location of the establishment under threat;
3) Proceed immediately to the scene;
4) Coordinate with the security manager or administrator;
5) Conduct visual search in the area and isolate the specific place, if necessary, when a suspicious
item is located without causing panic;
6) Alert EODT/K9;
7) Notify HHQ of any development and continue giving updates;
8) Brief the EOD/K9 team upon arrival and assist if necessary; and
9) Provide security at the scene until such time when the EOD/K9 team declares the area is cleared
of any incendiaries or explosives.

b. Procedures for FR if a suspected item is found and the EOD/K9 recommended an

evacuation from the affected area.
1) Coordinate with the management or administrator to identify the safety areas for evacuation;
2) Assist in the evacuation of people without causing panic while the EOD/K9 conducts panelling
procedures;
3) Cordon the isolated area to prevent entry of unauthorized persons; and
4) Coordinate with the management once the EOD/K9 declares the area as cleared and assist the
people in resuming their businesses.

c. Procedures for FR if the EOD/K9 confirmed the presence of an explosive component or

Improvised Explosive Device (IED):
1) Report the progress of the incident to the TOC for the following:
a) Summon ambulance and fire trucks to the scene; and
b) Request for deployment of additional police personnel to establish traffic control, crowd
control and security.
2) Lock down the affected area to a distance of at least 300 meters away;
d. Procedures for FR in case of Bomb Explosion
1) Upon receipt of the report:
a) Identify exact location of the incident and proceed to the scene immediately;
b) Direct EOD/K9 teams to proceed to the area;
c) Notify HHQ of the situation;
d) Report the incident to the TOC for the following:
(1) Summon ambulance, fire trucks and SOCO team to the scene and other resources as
may be determined;
(2) Request for deployment of additional police personnel to establish traffic control, crowd
control and security;
2) Upon arrival at the scene:
a) Cordon the area at least 150 meters from the location of explosion;
b) Assist in the immediate evacuation of the injured if possible;
c) Direct occupants of the establishment to evacuate;
 d) Maintain order and crowd control;
e) Seal off location until the EOD/K9 team determines if a secondary device exists;
f) Conduct rescue operations at the scene upon clearance of the EOD/K9 team;
g) Assist the Post-Blast Investigation (PBI) team and SOCO team upon clearance from the
EOD/K9 team;
h) Submit initial incident report immediately with the following information:
(1) Time when the call for bomb threat was received;
(2) Time of detonation/explosion; and
(3) Description of type of device.
i) Identify any witnesses and bring them to the nearest police station to obtain their
statement;
j) Avoid issuing “speculative” press releases or statements; and
k) Ensure cooperation with the IOC.
Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) Operations
a. General Guidelines
The PNP units tasked to maintain peace and order shall not interfere with the holding of
public assembly. To ensure public safety, a CDM contingent under the command of a PCO
shall be detailed and stationed at least 100 meters away from the place where the public
assembly is being held (Batas Pambansa 880 sec. 9).
In the absence of any permit from the LGU concerned, the PCO in command should exert
effort in persuading the demonstrators to disperse peacefully and vacate the public place. In
lightning rallies or demonstrations, the Ground Commander shall exhaust efforts through
dialogue with the leaders/organizers for voluntary dispersal. In case of failure, orderly
dispersal, to include apprehension of those responsible, shall be resorted to.
Maximum tolerance must always be exercised (Batas Pambansa 880 sec. 10).
b. Specific Guidelines
When assistance is requested by the leaders/organizers, it shall be imperative for the CDM
contingent to perform their duties while observing the rights of demonstrators. Further, the
members of the CDM contingent dealing with the demonstrators shall be in prescribed
uniform.
1) The CDM contingent shall not carry any kind of firearms but may be equipped with batons
or riot sticks, crash helmets with visor, gas masks, boots or ankle-high shoes with shin
guards.
2) Tear gas, smoke grenades, water cannons, or any similar anti-riot device shall not be
used unless the public assembly is attended by actual violence or serious threats of
violence, or deliberate destruction of property.
3) The organization and membership of CDM contingents, as well as their deployment and
employment, shall be in accordance with existing PNP rules and regulations.
4) For every CDM contingent, there shall be a team of negotiators.
5) A separate security contingent may be organized and ready to provide immediate
assistance to the CDM contingents as the need arises.
c. CDM Operational Tasks
1) Isolate the area;
2) Secure likely targets;
3) Control the crowds;
4) Establish area control; and
5) Arrest violators.

d. CDM Operational Approaches

1) The commitment of a CDM contingent must be viewed as a last resort. Their role,
therefore, should never be greater than what is necessary under the circumstances. This
does not mean though that the number of troops employed should be minimized. Doubts
concerning the number of troops required should normally be resolved in favor of deploying
a large number as it may prevent the development of situations in which the use of force
would be necessary. A large reserve of troops should be maintained during civil disturbance
operations.
2) In selecting an operational approach to a civil disturbance situation, the Ground
Commander and his/her personnel must adhere to the procedures in Force Continuum in
Chapter 2 Section 2-4 of this POP.
3) Efforts should be exerted to create the image of a restrained and well-disciplined force,
the sole purpose of which is to assist in the restoration of law and order. Further, while CDM
contingent should be visible, any activity which might excite rather than calm the situation
should be avoided when possible.
4) Consistent with the controlling principle “that he/she must use the minimum necessary
force to accomplish his/her mission”, the Ground Commander shall equip the CDM
contingent only with rattan sticks/truncheons/batons, shields, kevlar helmets and
handcuffs.
5) In situations requiring the use of batons/truncheons, only target fleshy parts of the body
such as arms, torso, legs, and thighs. Hitting protesters with the baton or truncheon on the
head, face, neck, shoulder blades, elbows, fingers, groins, knees, and ankles must be
avoided since strikes to these parts may cause serious to permanent injuries, or even death.
6) Arrested protesters must be restrained, handcuffed and brought safely to the police
station for processing.
7) In any CDM deployment, there should be trained and equipped female CDM personnel.