Introduction

The previous chapter covered the definitions and popular typologies of police corruption to highlight how corruption can overlap with crime, misconduct and other forms of integrity violations for either individual, collective or group gain(s). Now that police corruption has been covered and understood, strategies to mitigate corruption within a police force are outlined. This chapter covers police corruption and a prevention strategy within the police, as well as commissions of inquiries, which led to a prevention strategy for the New York and New South Wales police forces. A prevention strategy to combat corruption in the police includes enforcing accountability with the aid of commissions of inquiry after a public scandal; police reform that includes institutional reform, community policing and the input of civil society organisations (CSOs); pay reform; a rotation strategy; and training.

Commissions of inquiry

Detection provides the details of the targets followed by an investigation prior to the final stage of sanctions, but police forces in corrupt countries or even developed states may fail to competently investigate allegations of corruption. A political environment that is corrupt is a huge barrier to combat police corruption, and fails to change the behaviours of the police corrupters and victims of such corruption (Newburn, 1999: 40). However, close supervision and robust internal controls on police behaviour can also generate resentment insofar as police officers risk their lives to protect internal security but are increasingly being targeted and watched as if they are criminals (Punch, 1994: 33–4). A strong and willing political environment and the internalisation of strong ethical standards are needed within a police force's anti-corruption strategy.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, public pressure and activism for robust accountability concerning police scandals in the media led to the establishment of robust commissions to investigate what activities had occurred and how, followed by methods for prevention (Ivković, 2005b: 146). Sherman (1978a: 244–55) suggests that reform occurs after a public scandal. Examples include scandals concerning drug-related corruption leading to independent anti-corruption agencies investigating the police in Hong Kong, Singapore and New South Wales (Pyman et al, 2012: 14).