By 2:00 AM, the crowd had thinned. The energy had dissipated into the cool night air. There were no sirens, no ambulances, and no front-page photos of brutality.
The manual required meticulous record-keeping. Every deployment of public order units, use of chemical agents, or baton charge had to be documented to provide legal cover and administrative accountability after an incident.
The stands as a foundational, albeit restricted, document in the history of policing and civil order in Malaysia . Issued by the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police (with significant application within the Royal Malaysia Police - PDRM), this manual was designed to guide law enforcement agencies in managing public assemblies, potential riots, and disruptions to public order.
In 1971, the Philippines was a nation in turmoil, setting the stage for major changes. Key events that year included the tragic on August 21, which killed nine people and injured many others. In response, President Ferdinand Marcos suspended the writ of habeas corpus on August 22, a move that signified increasing government control.
The 1971 manual systematically categorized public order situations and prescribed progressive operational stages. While specific chapters remained restricted to internal training environments, historical analysis shows the manual focused on three primary tactical pillars: 1. The Command Hierarchy (Gold, Silver, Bronze) public order manual poman 1971
The manual dictated that police should only use the amount of force strictly necessary to achieve a specific security objective. Once order was restored, force was to be discontinued immediately.
: Chapter 25 of the 1971 manual explicitly authorizes the use of tear gas and physical dispersal tactics when a gathering is deemed an unlawful riot. Functional Duties
POMAN 1971 was created to professionalize the police response, moving away from ad-hoc reactions toward a calculated, procedural approach to crowd control and public safety. While it was developed prior to the declaration of Martial Law, its principles influenced policing strategies for decades.
: The era was defined by anti-war protests, civil rights movements, and labor strikes. Traditional police methods—which relied heavily on standard foot patrol tactics or localized, ad-hoc responses—were regularly overwhelmed by mass mobilization. By 2:00 AM, the crowd had thinned
Empirical data from the Emergency period (1975-1977) reveals the manual’s impact:
What is indisputable is that it professionalized chaos. Before POMAN, crowd control was a street brawl. After POMAN, it became a science. For better or worse, the geometry of the protest line—the space between the badge and the sign—is still drawn according to the angles and edges of that 1971 manual.
The Public Order Manual (POMAN) 1971 remains a vital milestone in the history of law enforcement. It successfully transformed chaotic, localized riot responses into a professionalized, deeply studied tactical science. However, its rigid paramilitary nature and operational secrecy also highlighted the delicate friction between preserving state security and upholding the fundamental civil right to peaceful protest.
The late 1960s and early 1970s represented a volatile period for governments globally. Civil unrest, political assassinations, labor strikes, and colonial independence movements forced state authorities to rethink their approach to policing. Prior to this era, crowd control often relied on fragmented, localized police instincts or direct military intervention, which frequently resulted in excessive force and escalated violence. The manual required meticulous record-keeping
To the higher-ups, it was a tactical breakthrough—a standardized guide for "crowd management" and "civil disturbances." To Elias, it felt like a textbook for a world that was becoming increasingly unrecognizable.
The full text of explicitly states: "I, Ferdinand E. Marcos, President of the Philippines, do hereby promulgate the attached rules and regulations for the government of city and municipal police agencies throughout the Philippines which shall be known as the Police Manual". This order effectively "prescribes the rules and regulations for the government of city and municipal police agencies". It was issued based on the recommendation of the Police Commission , which was created to oversee and professionalize the country's local police forces. The manual replaced Executive Order No. 113 and could only be amended by the Police Commission with the President's approval.
: While POMAN 1971 provides operational tactics, public order in Malaysia is also governed by legislative acts such as the Public Order (Preservation) Act 1958 and the Criminal Procedure Code .