Why do police officers, who are meant to abide by the rules, [sometimes] bend and break them - Essay Example

?Why do police officers, who are meant to abide by the rules, [sometimes] bend and break them?? (Punch, 2009:199). Police is a branch formed for the safety of human beings in many countries. Police is a force of individuals bunched together to work in collaboration for the protection of the citizens of the country. It is a profession which was believed previously to not possess any sort of malice but it has been found that some unethical behaviour does persist in the police force too. This has been witnessed in the police force of United Kingdom as a small number of officers have been found to commit these unethical behaviours. The police officers in the United Kingdom have been under severe criticism for scandals which took place in 1820s and 1960s. It has been found at many instances that the police force in United Kingdom has been involved in bribery, tampering of evidence, and beating up of subjects. For such a behaviour to be avoided policies such as Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 have been enacted in the United Kingdom. The problem with the police department is not limited to the developed country of United Kingdom but it also spreads to the United States. It has been found that unethical behaviour also persists in the police force of United States (Mollen 1994). “Most police departments have members who commit corrupt acts from time to time. Only some police departments, however, become corrupt police departments.” (Sherman, 1978 pg. 32) Police officers at times break the rules for a gain which might not be personal but would rather be a group gain. Police officers break rules at instances where they think that they can benefit from the whole situation. A reward for breaking rules can also be cited by these police officers as they might show a legitimate reason to commit that offence. Some of the major problems which are causing the police officers to break the rules in accordance to their will are related to their personal gains and power. Discretion being the foremost factor in determining as to if the police officer would turn out to be corrupt or not. This discretion allows the police officers to be the sole authority at particular instances where they can bend and break the laws in the way that they like. These are probably done for the better future of the police officers and the resources that they might be provided after being successful in those instances. Discretion of the police officers also gives rise to the question as to what are the goals of policing actually ? To answer this one can say that the police officer defines his or her goals according to a prevalent belief in the policing system. It is the seniors of the police officers who leave an impact on the juniors as to how they should handle their authority at some instances. If this authority is handled incorrectly then it leads to corruption within the department whereas if it is handled correctly then corruption would not prevail (Barker & Carter 1986, Pg. 30-45 ; Kleiney 1996 Pg. 81-96 ). Another reason for corruption in the police department is the less visibility of the actions of the police officers. Goldstein states that ‘under the best of circumstances, police agencies have several peculiar characteristics that make them especially difficult to administer. Police officers are spread out in the field, not subject to direct supervision’ (Goldstein 1990:6). As the police department is not watched upon by specific authorities many of the police officers can be involved in the practices of corruption. A possible solution to the problem of less visibility is transparency as put forward by many agencies. Police corruption can be stopped if the officers have to be transparent in their dealing and they are being looked upon by authoritative figures. Similarly these police officers are not exposed to the public too as they only have to deal with specific individuals at specific instances. If public has a transparency to the objectives of policing then it is possible that the rates of corruption would be decreased in the department (Kleiney 1996 pg 209-216). Another factor which has seen to play a rule in the corruption of the policing force is the peer secrecy. Through this the police force is collaborating with each other so that the secrets of a peer are not given out in the public. At many instances it is seen that the police force do not speak up for their partners and this leads to prevalent corruption in the force. It is cited by many authors that secrecy is an important point through which the malpractices of the police force are shielded. This secrecy is not only maintained throughout the police officials but is also maintained to managerial classes of the police. This is the reason why many of the inquiries into scandals do not bring forward a positive result. A very common cause of the corruption in policing authorities is a problem related to the stipend of these police officials. It is seen that the police officials are brought into a society of high class where they have to cope up with growing pressure. These police officials after being integrated into the higher society become a cause of havoc in the society. As the pay scales of these police officials is low they cannot cope up with the status problems and they end up taking briberies from different ends. These briberies then help them to cope up with the status problems that they encounter during their work (Kleinig 1996 pg 163-169). Similarly the world of lawbreakers is also associated to the prevalent corruption in the police authorities. It is seen that mafias have direct contacts with the police officers who they pay heavily to get themselves guarded. These police officers in order to have a lavish life prefer saving these notorious gangsters from the view of the government. A factor of community politics is also integrated into the question of corruption by the police officers. Politics plays a major role in the developing countries as the politicians are the ones who help these police officers in taking the bribes. Community itself can be a factor which encourages the police department to accept bribes and do as their politicians want them to do (Bracey 1992 pg 179-183). Factors arising inside the organization are very important as they also contribute towards the corruption in the society. It is seen that many of the police officials who are involved in scandals have either lost their professional pride or are not abiding by the ethical rules of the society. This is either because they want to earn a higher status in the society or they want to get a promotion to the authoritative seats in the society. It is also seen that activities which have been prohibited by the state somehow encourage the police officers to be involved in corruption. For example prostitution although is legal somewhere can prove to be a source of pleasure for the police officials. The police officials take advantage of some laws and use their discretion over the prostitutes to have pleasure. Police Department all over the world is formed to save people from injustice but it is seen nowadays that many police officials are themselves being involved in scandals. The problem in the police department cannot be solved until some strict measures are taken. Policies and laws should be renewed in accordance to the problems of the police department so that the problem of corruption can be removed from the grass root (Kleinig 1996 pg 163-169). Bibliography Barker, T. and Carter, D.L. (1986) Police Deviance Cincinnati, Ohio: Anderson Publishing Co. Bracey, D. H. (1992) ‘Police corruption and community relations: Community policing’ in Police Studis Vol 15 No 4, 179-183. Kleinig, J. (1996) The Ethics of Policin. g Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Mollen Commission (1994) Report of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Police Coruption and the Anti-Corruption Procedures of the Police Department. City of New York: Mollen Commission. Sherman, L.W. (1978a) Controlling Police Corruption: The effects of reform policies. Summary Report. Washington: US Dept of Justice. Goldstein, H. (1990) Problem Oriented Polcing New York: McGraw Hill. Read More