Research Paper on Corruption and Deviance in Policing

Introduction

Deviance in policing is the process whereby police engage in an act which is uncalled for in the society, that is, breaking the norms which have been set by the society or a nation. In every organization, there are set values which have to be adhered to by all who work within that organization. The existing code of ethics dictates the rules and principals to be followed in policing. Deviance exists in various forms as follows, misbehavior, intimidating citizens, use of excessive force, and conducting unwarranted surveillance and conveying wrong information about the case and portraying laziness is a quest for justice when handling crime activities (Hardwick, 2010). On the other corruption is the process of executing an illegal act which yields benefit to the executer at the expense of affected person, for example taking a bribe to release somebody who was on the wrong without following the law process (Adams, 2010). The two vices have been existing for decades in the police force, and there is a likelihood of confusion between them.

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The two vices have been confused, that is, at one-point police engages in the act of corruption, but it is confused for deviance. The distinct difference between the two vices is that deviance arises when the police act in a way which affects the comfort of the citizens while corruption involves a situation where the police indulge in a constitutionally wrong act and, in most cases, it comes with the benefit to a police officer and hurts another person.

Over the years, police have been the most affected by these vices globally; there are several social cases which depict the existence of these vices in the society (Hardwick, 2010). Offering gratitude to the police is a deviant act, though this might seem like a normal and good act, it has a negative impact on the judgment of the police in case he or she is needed to discharge duties at a place the officer was offered gratitude. Most business firms tend to offer gratitude to the police so that they can be within their business premise as they believe that the presence of police within the business reduces that chance of shoplifters.

There have been several reported cases of police officers accepting kickbacks after discharging certain duties or being promised of kickbacks after accomplishing a certain task, this is an act of corruption, and it is uncalled for in the society (Waddington, 2010). With the promise of kickbacks, it means that the police will not deliver fair judgment and he or she will use all possible means to ensure that the person who has offered a kickback is on a positive side even if he or she was on the wrong act. This practice has been rampant in the police, and it curtails the administration of justice to the citizens.

Social Processes

Due to the rampant nature of these vices in policing, there is a need to introduce socialization process to inform police officials. The police department should be equipped adequately with modern facilities which enable police officers to track the criminals and be able to identify the crime sites with ease. With the use of technologies like satellite and computer system, police will be able to discharge their duties with ease, and the desired right information will be obtained during the investigation.

The government should avail proper weapons, good dresses and tear gases to disperse criminal at creme scene. With that proper tools, like guns, the spirit of police officers will be boosted, and their ability to discharge duties diligently will be bolstered (Porter, & Warrender, 2009). Having good dresses will improve the physical presentation of the police and the public will have a good perception of police hence boosting their morale. Possession of teargas by police will ensure that when they are going to face the crowed criminals, they have what is desired to disperse them without using excessive force which might lead to deviance by police thus breaking their code of conduct.

The government should conduct an education to the police officers informing them about the constitutional law and what is expected from them to effectively discharge their duties (Adams, 2010). Research on the police corruption and deviance cases have indicated that most of them indulge in these vices without knowing what the law says about them and the judges who come along with engaging in such vices. Government conducting education will see a drastic decrease in these vices as the police will be aware of them and use all possible means to avoid engaging in such vices. Police should be enlightened on the businesses which exist and are legal to be conducted at a particular place; this will make them aware of business activities taking place in a place and avoid mistreating people who are a particular place rightfully, with all these in place reduction in corruption and deviance in policing will be noted.

Police indulgence in corruption and deviance has been linked to low salary given to police, hence making them prone to corruption activities (Miller, 2014). At some instances, police have been exposed to large businesses engaging in illegal activities with big returns. With the low salary and need to meet life events like other people, police tend to be bribed easily hence corruption. For this to be dealt with, there is a need to give police a high salary pays to enable them to meet their needs hence reducing the chances of engaging in corrupt activities. Police have known to be subjected to the danger of being killed when they witness their counterparts indulging in crime, and they threaten to expose them hence those involved in the crime might kill them to cover for the crime committed.

Service Training Program

As indicated in the research, the rising cases of corruption and deviance have hurt government, police, and public, therefore, necessitating the process to tame this menace. Due to the need to tame it, there is a need for a structured program to eliminate it this vice (Mink, Dietz, & Mink, 2000).

Setting up the model by the government to ensure that the police officers are promoted in ranks to get a pay increase (Mink et al., 2000). It was noted that the cause of corruption is unsatisfying salary, hence incorporating program which will enable the police to earn more will go handy in reducing corruption cases.

A structured program in the police stations which indicates duties assigned to each officer should be adopted, and also within the police, it should be mandatory that there is respect of fellow police officers. This will ensure that there is harmony in work delivery which bolsters coexistence hence police officers each other's watchdog thus they will engage in what is right and at last the corruption and deviance cases will have been reduced. The duties assigned to each officer should be tracked at the end of a day or a week to prove that what the officer did was right and constitutionally sound.

The government should have a program to avail modernized facilities which makes it possible to track the police actions and crime scenes (Porter, & Warrender, 2009). This will make police officers engage in what is right since they are aware that their actions are being tracked, hence reduction in the cases of deviance and corruption. Furthermore, the government should provide a program to educate the public on the importance of desisting from colluding with the police to orchestrate corruption. In most cases, it's the members of the public have been tempting the police officers into the act of deviance and corruption. The government should form a body which is ensuring that the laid down programs are adhered to and it realizes its intention and success.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can deduct from the research that corruption and deviance vice in the police force is a global challenge. Corruption and deviance have tarnished the reputation the police force, and there is a need to come up with ways of curbing this menace before plunging police to a bad situation. Various governments have put up mechanisms to curb these vices; the methods include promotion in work to earn more and incorporating technology to track the movement of the police officers as that will ensure they do what is right and execute their duties diligently.

References

Adams, R. (2010). Police Corruption, Deviance, Accountability, and Reform in Policing. Policing, 4(4), 322-325. doi: 10.1093/police/paq046

Hardwick, N. (2010). Police Corruption, Deviance, Accountability, and Reform in Policing. Policing, 4(4), 339-342. doi: 10.1093/police/paq048

Miller, S. (2014). Human rights, police corruption, and anti-corruption systems for police organizations. Australian Journal of Human Rights, 20(2), 165-180. doi: 10.1080/1323-238x.2014.11882154

Mink, O., Dietz, A., & Mink, J. (2000). Changing a police culture of corruption: Implications for the police psychologist. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 15(2), 21-29. doi: 10.1007/bf02802662

Porter, L., & Warrender, C. (2009). A multivariate model of police deviance: examining the nature of corruption, crime, and misconduct. Policing and Society, 19(1), 79-99. doi: 10.1080/10439460802457719

Waddington, P. (2010). Police Corruption. Policing, 4(4), 313-314. doi: 10.1093/police/paq043