Police Corruption And Police Reforms In Developing Societies

Much of the literature on police corruption and police reforms is dominated by case studies of societies classified as developed. However, under the influence of globalization, developing societies have become a focal point of scholarly interest and examination. Police Corruption and Police Reforms in Developing Societies provides critical analyses

Is it possible to create democratic forms of policing in transitional and developing societies? This volume argues that policing models and practices promoted by the west are often inadequate for adoption by countries making democratic transitions because they do not adequately address issues such as human rights, equity, co-production, accountability, openness and organizational change. Therefore police reform is often limited to a "one size fits all" approach. The book expands the dialogue so that discussions of democratic policing around the world are more realistic, comprehensive and sensitive to the local context. Detailed case studies on Iraq, South Africa, Northern Ireland and Kazakhstan provide a realistic assessment of the current state of policing. The editors use the studies to suggest how to promote democratic policing and other important goals of democratic reform around the world. The volume will assist academics, policy makers, NGOs and others in tailoring a local democratic policing strategy within a broader framework to enhance socioeconomic development and citizen capacity, build social capital, reduce various forms of conflict and support human rights.

There are enormous challenges in establishing policing systems in young democracies. Such societies typically have a host of unresolved pressing social, economic and political questions that impinge on policing and the prospects for reform. There are a series of hugely important questions arising in this context, to do with the emergence of the new security agenda, the problems of transnational crime and international terrorism, the rule of law and the role of the police, security services and the military. This is a field that is not only of growing academic interest but is now the focus of a very significant police reform ‘industry’. Development agencies and entrepreneurs are involved around the globe in attempts to establish democratic police reforms in countries with little or no history of such activity. Consequently, there is a growing literature in this field, but as yet no single volume that brings together the central developments. This book gathers together scholars from political science, international relations and criminology to focus on the issues raised by policing within developing democracies examining countries in Eastern Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.

This Brief explores the problem of creating organizational change and a culture of lawfulness within police organizations in the developing world. In many countries where police are charged with responding to crime, they are themselves entrenched in histories of corruption, human rights abuses, inefficiency as well as a lack of public trust. While police corruption can happen anywhere, areas of political transition tend to have a more entrenched cultural history of corruption. However, the author argues that even in the most challenged forces, there remains hope for organizational change. This brief demonstrates how understanding the local socio-political context, and applying evidence-based best practices for police integrity training can bring about change. The brief summarizes the current state of knowledge on police integrity training, strategies for rethinking corruption and community policing, as well as two case studies in Bangladesh and Mexico with applications for other regions. This work will be of interest to students and researchers in criminology and criminal justice, particularly with an interest in police studies and corruption, as well as related fields such as political science, international studies and human rights.

The fifth and sixth volumes of the Uncertainties Series deal with the problems of isolated and institutional police corruption in developed and developing countries. Topics include: Historical perspectives on police corruption; The role of the media and politics in police corruption; Corruption in private policing; The "rotten apple" versus the "rotten orchard" theory of police corruption; Corruption and policing in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Finland, Russia, Turkey, and many more.

This book sheds light on Africa’s development performance and dynamics arising from the interface between corruption and sustainable development on the one hand and the challenges that poses for peace, security and stability. Corruption also contributes to the spread of terrorism and violent extremism. Pervasive corruption networks often include politicians, civil servants working at all levels of state institutions, representatives of the private sector and members of crime syndicates. The consequences of corruption are detrimental in many aspects, such as undermining governments’ ability to serve public interests and eroding public trust in democratic processes. Presenting empirical evidence, the book explains why corruption and the looting of staggering amounts of national assets undermine the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has a negative impact on peace, stability, security, the rule of law, gender equality, the environment and human rights. This makes the book a must-read for students, researchers and scholars of political science, international relations, and economics in general, as well as African studies, development studies, and security sector studies in particular, covering issues and themes on corruption, governance, socio-economic sustainable development, public administration and management, policing in an international context, police reform, and security sector reform. It will also serve as a helpful resource for policy-makers interested in a better understanding of the connection between corruption, sustainable development, and security challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Police Reform: Building Integrity is about the recurring problem of police corruption and contemporary efforts to find effective strategies to maximise ethical conduct. It draws on international experience, using Australia as a major source. In the last fifteen years Australian policing has been of significant interest because of the combination of advanced democratic processes, exposés of serious police corruption, and extensive - sometimes radical - experimentation with prevention strategies. The book begins with an overview of developments and issues in police integrity control globally, before giving close attention to special problem areas and to innovations in establishing and maintaining best practice. These innovations include modern methods of testing police applicants, assessing organisational integrity, mediating complaints, using stings to reveal secretive corruption, creating integrity profiles of officers and units, and developing effective independent oversight and investigation of complaints. The book is for all stakeholders in police conduct: police managers, professional standards branch personnel, general duties officers, recruits, civilian oversight agencies, civil libertarians, politicians, police studies scholars and students, and the general public. The book brings together the latest research on types of misconduct in a form that is readily accessible to a wide range of readers; with short, clearly focused, chapters on specialist topics. It balances diagnostic and theoretical explanations of police behaviour with a series of expositions of specific practical strategies for creating ethical departments.