NCJ Number
124327
Journal
Police Studies Volume: 12 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1989) Pages: 171-174
Date Published
1989
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The proliferation of the international drug trade, inadequate salaries, and the decline in public morality and police ethics have contributed to the rise in police corruption in Australia. Police managers, by dealing with the problem reactively, ignoring disincentives available to discourage corruption and ignoring the special responsibility of police officers, have failed to combat the spread of police corruption.
Abstract
Furthermore, in cases where police officers were acquitted of accusations of corruption, police management have failed to address the issue of their suitability for continued employment. Overreliance on the criminal justice system as a mechanism for eliminating unsuitable officers must be replaced by a new set of evaluation criteria. However, in cases where management dismissed an acquitted officer because of loss of confidence, there may be a financial cost through some contractual or other arrangement. Police management should devise mechanisms to ensure that the financial disincentive against corruption is commensurate with the financial incentive to dishonesty. In Australia, legislation requiring the forfeiture of cash entitlements of convicted officers posits a financial loss, which increases in proportion to length of employment, which usually bear a relationship to the officer's authority in the organization. The article suggests that police officers, as public officials, cannot enjoy the same rights to privacy and civil liberties as other citizens. The level of management control has decreased while the level of corruption has increased. Nevertheless, the implementation of anti-corruption measures must recognize that the vast majority of police officers are honest and deserve a good quality of life. (Publisher abstract modified)