Crossing the line: the consequences of police corruption

Crossing the line: the consequences of police corruption

When institutions tasked with protecting our rights and preventing corruption do not act with integrity, it is citizens that ultimately suffer. Allegations of police corruption are central to the recent, high-profile UK phone-hacking scandal, which saw the privacy of thousands of people violated by unscrupulous journalists. Elsewhere in the world, the failure of the police to act in the public interest facilitates human rights abuses, opens the door to political repression and provides an environment in which organised crime can flourish.

Global views on police corruption

Police corruption is a serious problem in countries across the world. The police are the institution most often reported as the recipient of bribes, according to our Global Corruption Barometer, a worldwide public opinion survey. From accepting kickbacks to providing cover to organised crime, police corruption comes in many forms.

Tracking police corruption

Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer surveys ordinary people’s experiences and perceptions of corruption. In a worrying development, reported bribes to the police almost doubled between 2006 and 2010.

A recent report in Nigeria warned that citizens should not expect help from the police and attested that payments are often necessary to see an investigation completed. It documented corruption at all levels: from embezzlement of budgets by senior law enforcement officials to roadblocks set up by traffic police for the sole purpose of extortion.

In Russia, whistleblower and former police major Alexei Dymovsky was arrested on fraud and corruption charges after speaking out against corruption in a series of YouTube videos. In his videos, he claimed that young recruits are led to expect that bribes will subsidise poor wages.

The cost of leaving police corruption unchecked becomes apparent in Latin America, where one in five people we surveyed reported paying bribes to the police over a twelve month period. But the problem cuts much deeper than bribery.

Police corruption in the region extends to protecting, supporting or turning a blind eye to organised crime, including the trafficking of drugs, arms and human beings, and has allowed the massive expansion of these activities. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime has warned that such corruption reaches to the highest levels, pointing to evidence implicating senior police officials in Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador. From 2006-2011, violence linked to the drug trade has cost the lives of an estimated 40000 people in Mexico alone, where 98 per cent of crimes reportedly go unpunished.

When the forces of law and order are compromised, the state cannot legitimately prevent and punish violations of the law or protect citizens’ human rights.

Personal story: Read about TI staff experience of corruption in Latin America on our blog.