BACKGROUND
OF THE STUDY
Police corruption is not a progressive system within
the national social structure. Police is meant to enforce the laws of the
nation and bring peace to the citizen. They decay of the aims for which the
police is created and for no acceptable reasons require to be looked into. What
are those conditions that so surround the police corruption in the country? What
factors influence the continuation of police corruption? It is said that police
corruption is on the increase not minding all the efforts made to stop
corruption or to greatly reduce it.
According to Ortiz and Peterson
(1994), Police work is often unpleasant. police often have to deal with ugly
situations and antisocial behaviour. Police are police are lied to, spit upon
and sworn at. They see unspeakable atrocities. Because of their shared
experiences and unique exposure to their community, many police officers
develop negative characteristics as coping mechanisms.
What actually baffles the people is,
the idea that police x-ray corruption within the practice of the law itself for
example, Ndubise (1991) emphasized that police hid and delay the file of
suspect and bring them out when offered bribe. According to Nkaru (1994) police
pay money to their superior authorities to be posted where they take bribe.
This type of action strongly influences bribery and corruption in the police
force as a police in the office will be relatively poor when compared with one
in the field.
According to Wilsom (1968) where
ever there is police there is corruption. The government should always look for
how to solve the problem. what ever surrounds the police and influences
corruption in the nation, one thing is clear that if the view of some people as
regards police corruption is accepted hook and sink, Nigerians shall not blame
anybody on police corruption than to do all they can to reduce it. According to
Isiche and Burn. (1977) police corruption is a vestige of the colonel master.
British police was corrupt when they came into this country. Corrupt messengers
of Obars, Emirs and Chiefs were the first police group.
STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
Corruption exists in the country. It includes illegal
procedure used by a person or persons in authority to extort money or material
things from the public Clinard and Abbott (1973) opined that corruption is
found in many countries of Africa and beyond. The police as law enforcement
unit is made to arrest and prosecute corrupt people for they are criminals. But
on the contrary, the police is involved in corrupt deals. The problems are; who
then enforces the law against corruption? What is the effect of police
corruption on law enforcement? What is the effect of police corruption on law
enforcement? Another problem is that police some times take bribe openly at any
place they mount check point. When the researcher visited Onitasha by August
2011, he discovered that from Abakaliki to Onitsha on the express road, there
were twenty three check points, At each check point police took money from motorists.
Drivers gave the money happily to the police provided the police will not look
at the vehicle documents to know whether the vehicle particulars are current or
not. The action is open and not hidden that an observer will feel that bribery
is legalized in the country of that it is organized from the senior police
officers down to the least recruit. By this action, the police field officers
take bribe openly without any fear of report to their superior officers. Worse
still, why should police take money from drivers at road blocks without fearing
that the vehicle could be carrying their superior officers from any police
untie in the country.
Police are known to demand money
from the public when they go for arrests and even hide criminals file to extort
money. This should not happen. As Dixon and Trojan (1974) opined, that police
should keep away from corrupt practices even where the public is involved. The
practice of corruption by the police which is on the increase is a problem
because since they go on unabated, other honest police can be lured into it. It
appears that corruption is part of the police force dating from the colonial
master the growth of corruption is continuous and steady. It is a problem since
the practice is increasing and not reducing. What then is the panacea to it?
How then can it be reduced? A measure by the government to reduce corruption is
Obasanjos Anti corruption bill. The group to enforce the law is the police who
are involved in corrupt practices. This is why Badejo (2000) opined that after
the inauguration of the bill, corruption remained with us as before even to a
more worrisome degree. The problem is that the Anti corruption unit meant to
sensitize the public on evils of corruption may not have succeeded. This study will
therefore look at the various efforts made by the government and the police to
reduce police corruption with a view to improve on them.
RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
1. What
is the nature and extent of police corruption in Ebonyi State?
2. How
effective is the police in fighting corruption within its rank and file?
3. How
do the public see police corruption?
4. Is
it true that the more the police are educated, the less corrupt they become?
5. What
can the country do to reduce police corruption?
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Specifically the study will attempt
1. To
identity the nature and effect of police corruption in Nigeria using Ebonyi
State as example.
2. To
ascertain how corruption affect police performance in terms of their
constitutional role.
3. To
find out how public perceives police corruption.
4. To
find out whether police corruption is related to the officers’ level of
education.
5. To
offer suggestions which when implemented can reduce police corruption.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
They study has both practical and theoretical
significance. Practically the study will add to the existing body of knowledge
in area of corruption with specific reference to public perceptions on police
corruption in Nigeria. Further, it will investigate the problematic issues of
police corruption in Nigeria with special references to Ebonyi State. Issue of
corruption has generally damaged community. Nigeria is currently rated as the
third most corrupt nation of the world. According to Salih (2004) international
puts Nigeria as the second or third most corrupt country in the world. For
that, it is taken literally that Nigeria are most corrupt people in the world.
Therefore, the study will be of immense contribution
in the attempt to understand problematic issues in the country, more
particularly in the police force that is expected to be in their law
enforcement function. This study will also expose different dimension of police
corruption. Finally, this study will make appropriate recommendations on how to
drastically reduce corruption in Nigeria generally and police in Nigeria
particularly. Theoretically the study will add to the growth of existing
literature in areas of police corruption more especially to future researchers
in the study of public perception on police corruption. The study will make the
public to know whether corruption in the police force is the outcome of the
public corruption or the police itself.
OPERATIONALIZATION
OF CONCEPTS
It is an accepted practice in a
study of this kind to define some of the concepts used, so as to make clearer
their meanings. In keeping with this tradition, the following concepts are
defined here under: police, corruption, crime, bribery and police corruption.
Police: Police as used in this study refers to uniformed and
specially train people, by the government whose constitutional and statutory
function are to maintain law and order.
Corruption: Corruption according to Thompson (1998) is taking benefit
in cash or kind from anybody to deprive another of rights or benefits meant for
the person as the procedure and the rules that lead to achieve the rights or
benefits are avoided.
Crime: Tappan (1947) defined crime as
an intentional act in violation of criminal law, committed without defence or
excuse, and panelized by the state either as a felony or misdemeanor. Crime as
used in this study includes all violations of the criminal law which are
punishable by the law.
Bribery: It is an act of persuading another to act improperly
in ones favour by a gift of money (Thompson 1998). In this work, bribe includes
all acts done by a person to sway justice in his favour or in favour of another
after consideration in cash or kind. Bribery and corruption are used reciprocally
to mean the same thing in this paper.
Police Corruption: Is “any forbidden act which involves the misuse of
the officer’s official position for actual or expected material reward or gain
(Barker and Carter 1994 a, P56). As used in this study, police corruption is
moving away from work in all actions or inactions by the police while on duty,
aimed at undue deprivation or favour of any form against persons or
organizations carried out after receiving favour in cash or kind.