Police Administrators as Politicians - Essay Example

Running head: POLICE ADMINISTRATORS AS POLITICIANS Police Administrators Police administrators have a responsibility of ensuring that crime is combated in the society. In all these they are answerable to the community in relation to security and crime issues. When police officers walk a fine line as politicians, there are many problems and pitfalls that result. This includes conflict of interest on the part of police administrators. This results in police administrators engaging in corrupt practices in order to survive in the political arena. The entire community actually ends up losing their trust in police administrators. Introduction Police administrators in the recent past have become aware of their roles both in the community and also in the political arena. Community policing emphasizes on significant changes in approaches of police administrators. Research shows politicians are normally involved in various criminal practices in order to survive in the political arena. Police administrators must walk a fine line as politicians - accepted within their department by police officers - and also answerable to the community. This paper is an exploration of pitfalls and problems of this balancing act. (Dowell, 2004) While police administrators can walk a fine line as politicians, they have to be answerable to the community. This balancing act comes along with problems that may not be very easy to solve. Since time immemorial, politics has been referred to as a dirty game. This is because it is normally associated with crime practices in the society. The problem that comes in when police administrators start involving themselves with politics and at the same time carrying out their responsibilities is that they may not combat some crime issues especially those related to politics. (Kleinman, 2000)This is because there are crime issues that are related to politics that police administrators maybe aware of but due to their political aspirations, in case they deal with them then they may never succeed in the political arena. This normally calls for complacency in their duties. They actually fail to be answerable to the community in matters concerning crime. Another problem that actually emanates from this balancing act is lack of proper balance in time allocation. While it may be called a balancing act, in real sense there is lack of proper balance problems that result from this. This is because politicians are normally very busy people with meetings that always go up to late hours in the night. This makes police administrators to spend most of their time carrying out political endeavors. The result is that they fail to attend to their duties as administration officer. One of the roles of administrative officers is to carry out recruitment of junior police officers. (Royster, 1999) Once they get involved in politics they always have to appeal to other politicians by recruiting relatives to other politicians in order to survive in the political arena. This normally results in police administrators taking bribes in their line of duty. It becomes very hard for them to deal with police administrators who are corrupt. This actually results in increase in corruption within a nation. It is very hard to be good and bad at the same time. This is the scenario when police administrators come to the frontline of politics at the same time carry out their responsibilities in the community. When a police administrator carries out his duties in the community concerning crime, he may actually be at conflict with some members of the community and yet expect their approval in the political arena. (Manning, 1985) This is a big problem. Some of the people that carry out crime in the society are people who have political back up and once a police administrator carries out legal measures it follows that he or she will be politically disadvantaged. Another problem that is likely to result from this is in the area of community policing. This could result in poor community policing because once a police administrator is involved in politics, he will not take seriously some of the information from community policing. This actually makes community members to lose morale in carrying out their responsibilities in this area. The overall resultant factor is increase in insecurity in the society. (Kleinman, 2000) Politicians normally source funds for political endeavors through various ways. One of them is through money laundering and also through organized crime. For a political administrator to succeed in the political arena, he or she has to have lump sums of money to issue out to people in order to get their approval. (Royster, 1999) This is very tricky on the part of a police administrator because his or her salary may not adequately cater for political campaigns and rallies. This will actually force him or her to be involved in money laundering and also organized crime in order to succeed. This becomes a conflict of interest because he is actually supposed to be dealing with elimination of such vices in the society. As police administrators continue to be involved in political matters community members' trust in them continues to decline day by day. This may not be due to facts laid on the table concerning negative issues accruing from their involvement in politics but from mere perception. There is a general perception in the society that politics and police administration issues are like water and paraffin. Meaning that these two factors cannot go hand in hand. This result in public losing their trust in police administrators. This is not just in relation to the public only, but police officers working under police administrators who are involved in politics will not trust them at all. This will result in strained relations in the police force arena. (Royster, 1999) Politicians are people who are always sought out by the media. They are always seen on television screens even without their knowledge. This makes the work of a police administrator who is politician very hard. There are situations when police administrator would be carrying out administrative roles but because of his affiliation to politics he is aired or shown in the media and this could have negative implications in line with duty. Police officers always carry out investigations concerning criminal offences related to politics. In this endeavors police administrators involved in politics could be named. This becomes very hard for police officers to carry out investigations on their bosses. This of course is a very big problem since they are accountable to the very person that they have to interrogate. This is a person who has the power to sack them. It becomes very difficult for them to carry out their roles in such a case. Police administrators are normally answerable to the community in relation to criminal issues in the society. This involves matters like drug trafficking. In cases where people are arrested with drugs, it is the police administrator's responsibility to make this public through the media. It becomes very hard to do this especially when people are friends and also colleagues in the political scenario. This people could be having back up from the community. This means that such a police administrator will have a bad reputation in the community. (Royster, 1999) The entire process of change in the law field requires some bartering of political influence and assessment of new directions. This is actually in response to various needs of employees, officials and citizens at large. This actually becomes difficult to implement by a police administrator who is involved in political endeavors. (Sheehan, 1999) Police administrators are normally involved in enacting of laws and policies related to crime. Most of these criminal activities are normally practiced by politicians. Measures always need to be put in place by police administrators concerning crime specifically practiced by politicians. It becomes very hard for police administrators to put in place strict laws, policies and measures since the same laws will affect them directly. This always results in poor laws and policies enacted in the sector of crime. In case they are put in place then there occurs poor implementation at the ground level. It is not easy for a human being to put in place laws, policies and regulations that will affect him negatively. This obviously goes against basic humanity principles. Police administrators are normally are normally given government property to use in their line of duty. This includes vehicles among other assets. When police administrators walk as fine line politicians, problems are bound to result. This includes misuse of government property like vehicles. (Sheehan, 1999) There are instances when police administrators are given fuel for their vehicles for use in their administrative duties. Instead they use them for political affairs which result in increased expenses on the part of the government. Conclusion As police administrators walk a fine line as politicians- accepted within their department by police line officers-and also answerable to the community, there are bound to result multiple problems. While police administration duties are normally in line with promoting justice and combating crime in the society. Politics on the other hand has a large percentage of it involved in crime in order to survive in the political arena. This actually results in police administrators getting involved in criminal activities. This also creates conflicts of interests in the long run. The public actually loses their trust in police administrators that are involved in political endeavors. It becomes very hard for police officers to feel free to investigate criminal matters linked to police administrators considering that they are their bosses. The issue of balancing actually does not accrue since time allocation is greatly tampered with. References: Dowell, V. (2004): Community, Police and Politics; New York; National Academic Press pp 67-95 Kleinman, M. (2000): Crime Justice and Politics; New York; Prentice Hall pp 46-56 Manning, K. (1985): Crises in Police Administration; Springfield; IL; pp 154 Royster, M. (1999): Police Administrators as politicians; Bristol; Indiana; Wyndham Hall Press pp 83-101 Sheehan, R. (1999): Police Administration and Roles; U.K; Oxford pp 32- 45 Read More