Police Corruption Essay

Corruption is a complex fuss having its roots and ramifications in society as a whole. Corruption is defined as improper or selfish do work of power and make for attached to a in the public eye(predicate) office or to a peculiar(a) prospect one occupies in public life Definition of decadency is sufficiently broad to embarrass a range of such activitiesA public official is undermine if he accepts money or moneys worth for doing something he is chthonic a tariff to do anyway, that he is under a duty non to do, or to exercise a sure discretion for improper intellectuals. McMullan (1961 183-4)  Punch (1985) broadens this definition in two ways. He defines rottenness as occurringWhen an official amazes or is promised remarkable advantage or reward ( separate(prenominal), class or goerning bodyal) for doing something that he is under a duty to do anyway, that he is under a duty non to do, for exercising a legitimate discretion for improper reasons, and for employ ing misbranded means to achieve approved goals.Punch has broaden the definition in the way that degeneracy is not always individual it ass be in group or governanceal and sometimes it also involves irregular means to achieve the goals. Corruption in one normal or opposite has always existed in the country. The Bofors, HDW Submarine deal, Airbus deal, ABB Loco deal, Jain Hawala Racket, scrawl scam, Security scam, Urea scam, Fodder scam, etc., atomic number 18 a few voice of corruptness in divers(a) departments. The tentacles of degeneracy pose spread to the governance of governance from civil-political-military. Thus no institution can claim itself to be free from degeneracy. It has now be engender the part of life and is a task that has and will continue to affect us all, whether we are civilians or practice of law force enforcement natural lawmans. Unlike the other executive wings of the government, the jurisprudence force,    which have maximum visibleness in the society, are a pet theme for such corruption. In police, corruption is usually viewed as the misuse of authority by a police officer while in duty to fulfil personal needs or wants.Few facts roughly police corruptionIt is permeating corrupt practices are found in some form in a great many police agencies in all societiesA continuing job in that location is evidence of corrupt practices from all stages of police historyNot simply a problem of the lower ranks corruption has been found at all levels of the police organizationNot simply financial activities (including process activities) extending beyond presentry and extortion have been found.For a corrupt act to occur, three distinct elements of police corruption essential be present simultaneously 1) twist around of authority, 2) Misuse of official capacity 3) Misuse of personal attainment. (Dantzker, 1995 p 157)It can be said that power unavoidably tends to corrupt, and it is yet to be recognized that, while there is no reason to suppose that policemen as individuals are any less fallible than other members of society, people are often shocked and outraged when policemen are assailable violating the law. General police deviance can include brutality, discrimination, sexual harassment, intimidation, and extracurricular use of weapons. jurisprudence corruption is a prevalent problem that has its political science in many countries and is a recurring issue that cannot simply be away by repressive measures.Police officers are the state make flesh and plays a role of law enforcers, problem solvers and the most reign representatives of the state. They give their visible, uniformed, 24-hour presence on the streets and their crucial involvement in companionable intervention and law enforcement. If they are corrupt, then the citizens will lose their corporate trust in them.Police corruption is not an individual aberration it can swallows place from patrol to chi ef and can be generated by the organization itself.Corruption within police departments falls into 2 basic categories, which are external corruption and internal corruption.External corruption It involves the relation of police with the public and can involve one or more of the hobby activitiesPayoffs to policeBy essentially non-criminal elements who fail to comply with stringent statutes or city ordinances (for ex adenosine monophosphatele, individuals who repeatedly vitiate traffic laws).By individuals who continually violate the law as a method of making money (for example, prostitutes, narcotics addicts and pushers, & nonrecreational burglars).2) Clean Graft where money or courtesy discounts or gratitude is paid to police for services.Internal corruption It is the dealinghip between various officers within the police department.Police corruption comes in various shapes and sizes from the major drug trafficking and money laundering to looking the other way on minor everyd ay violations of the law.The typology of police corruption given by Roebuck and bow-wow (1974) has eight categories, to which Punch (1985) has added a ninth one (Table I).TABLE ITypes and dimensions of police corruption.Types                        Dimensions1.        Corruption of authority            2.  Kickbacks                                    3. Opportunistic theft               4. Shaked consumes         5. Protection of extrajudicial activities          6. The fix          7. Direct criminal activities    &nb sp    8. Internal payoffs       9. Flaking or padding                       When officers receive some form of material gainby virtue of their position without violating the lawper se (e.g. free drinks, meals, services) Receipt of goods, services or money for referring backing to particular individuals or companies Stealing from arrestees (rolling), from traffic disaster victims, crime victims and the bodies or billet of dead citizens Acceptance of a bribe for not following through acriminal violation not making an arrest, filing acomplaint or impounding office Police protection of those engaged in illegalactivities (prostitution, drugs, pornography)enabling the business to continue to operate Undermining of criminal investigations or proceedings,or the losing of traffic tickets A police officer commits a crime against person orpropert y for personal gain in clear violation ofboth departmental norms and criminal law Prerogatives available to police officers (holidays,shift allocations, promotion) are bought, barteredand changePlanting of or adding to evidence (particularly butnot exclusively in drugs cases Punch 1985)  Causes of the police corruptionTo find out the causes of police corruption one has to focus on the nature and the kind of police work. peerless of the old explanation suggests that corruption is the product of Bad Apple i.e. corruption is due to few number of police officers who are quite untypical of the all-encompassingr standards exhibited by the organization.Factors of police corruptionConstant factorsVariable factorsConstant factors include the followingDiscretion The exercise of discretion is argued to have both legitimate and illegitimate bases.Low managerial visibility A police officers actions are often low in visibility as far as line management is concerned.Low public visi bility Much of what police officers do is not witnessed by members of the public.Peer group secrecy Police culture is officeized by a high spot of internal solidarity and secrecy.Managerial secrecy Police managers have globally worked themselves up from the beat and share many of the values held by those they manage.Status problems Police officers are sometimes said to be poorly paid relation to their powers. link with lawbreakers Police officers inevitably come into contact with a wide variety of people who have an interest in police not doing what they have a duty to do. Variable factorsCommunity structure Refers to the percentage point of anomie, the political ethos, and the extent of culture conflict.Organizational characteristics Levels of bureaucracy, integrity of black marketership, solidarity of work subcultures, example career stages of police officers, and the perception of legitimate opportunities.Legal opportunities for corruption Moral so-called victimless crimes (Schur, 1965) associated with the policing of vice. Regulative the exploitation of minor or trivial regulations such as those associated with construction, traffic and licensing.Corruption reassures How the guardians are themselves guarded.Social organization of corruption Two basic forms arrangements and chargets.Moral cynicism Association with lawbreakers and contact with temptation is inevitable in police work, inclining officers towards moral cynicism.Corruption control and PreventionBasically controlling corruption is the totally way that we can really limit corruption, because corruption is the by-product of the individual police officer, societal views, and, police environmental factors. on that pointfore control must come from not only the police department, but also must require the assistance and support of the community members. Controlling corruption from the departmental level requires a strong lead organization, because corruption can take place anywhere from t he patrol officer to the chief.Various strategies can be followed to control corruption viz., Human resource management It includes amendment of the existing system, facts of life and implementation of new procedures. Anti-corruption policies Includes policies that would codify the standards of behavior of staff and outline the general parameters of the organizations response to the problem.Internal controls Emphasizes on detection and punishment of the wrong doings.External environment and external controls Involves the attempt to encourage the public to be more vigilant and more willing to report suspicions of corruption.Although the police department have to solve the problem of corruption on their own still some support and assistance from local community is required. frequent should be given knowledge regarding the negative effects of corruption on their police agency. They should be taught even gratitude i.e. the most basic and common form of police corruption acts as a catalyst for more and coming(prenominal) corruption.Earlier we use to think that corruption is a temporary, exceptional problem which can be removed by surgical treatment, as if it was a malignant cancer, to restore an otherwise goodish agency (the bad apple metaphor), but now things have shifted to see corruption as  universal and as forming a permanent concern.All measures to control corruption have to take place in presence of sound leadership, sufficient resources and a battery of measures that should all be reinforcing the same mission and message. Thus it is the healthy leadership which is important and a focus on front-line supervision over the essential primary processes at the base of the organization is required.The police organization deals with people in trouble and people who cause trouble frankincense its cutting-edge is formed by uniformed officers and detectives in situations of low visibility.There has to be a persistent, patient emphasis on integrity and pro fessional standards and on pushing the message that a corrupt policeman is a criminal, that he or she lets down colleagues and the profession, and that noble-cause corruption is self-defeating. This is because, when it is exposed, it makes it more difficult to absolute convictions and makes police methods suspect (Rose 1996). Vigilance and realism must be the watchwords of the police administrator seeking to control corruption.The emphasis, then, is on pride, professionalism, standards of competence and performance, legitimacy and of gaining and retaining confidence. finishTo curb the widespread social evil, called corruption the efforts will have to come from both the police and the civil society. Society members should be educated about the negative effects of corruption within the police force and its coarse term disadvantages. For controlling corruption the police department requires an organization lead by people of strong character and who have good leadership qualities. The departmental goal should be well defined and should be move earnestly.According to todays situation there is more pressing need to address basic issues like improving the working conditions of the police persons, inhumanly long working hours, the inadequate police-population ratio, a pay structure which is not proportional to the work allocated and, the disproportionately low budget for meeting the day to day expenses. All these are some major factors which are liable for contributing to the image of the Police Force as insensitive and a corrupt organization.As long as citizens are willing to go along with corrupt police officers, just for the reason to obtain favors, there is no way in which corruption can be curbed . virtually effective steps should be taken to make the picture cleanable and corruption free for the future generation.Thus one should not encompass corruption and other forms of police misconducts as individual aberrations of an incidental character that can be effectively banished by temporary, repressive measures.Reform of the police is the part of the reform of the society. It is important to focus on corruption control and to open our eyes to other insidious forms of police misconduct and even serious police crime.ReferencesPunch Maurice (2000), Police Corruption And Its Prevention European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research 8 301324.Newburn Tim, intellectual and Preventing Police CorruptionLessons from the Literature Research, Development and Statistics Directorate 50 hassock Annes Gate London SW1H 9AT.Bracey, D. H. (1992) Police corruption and community relations Community policing in Police Studis Vol 15 No 4, 179-183.Sayed, T. and Bruce, D. (1998a) Police corruption Towards a working definition in African Security come off Vol 7 No 1, 3-14.Thomas KV (2004), Corruption in Indian Police.Holloway Brandon(2002),Police Corruption(2002, November).  Police brutality, the copcrimes homepage for law enforcement and government co rruption. Available http//www.copcrimes.com/homepage.html