Use of ‘I’.
The main purpose of this book chapter is to illuminate the basic concepts of ‘corruption’ and to define different forms of corruption. The author implies that the corrupt doings of police officers can be seen as a ‘individual’ failure but to a certain extent also a ‘institutional’ failure where the force can be seen as responsible. The chapter describes ‘corruption’ in a narrow, legalistic sense generally refers to an police officer knowingly doing or not doing something that is against his or her duty for some form of financial or material gain or promise of such gain. This limited focus is geared principally at bribery and ostensibly financial arrangements for not enforcing the law. The offence of bribery is posited on an external briber, one who commits the act of bribing and some form of reciprocation from the one who is bribed. This implies that that the initiative for the transaction comes from someone outside the police organisation. Generally the nature of the reciprocation is vital for proving that a criminal offence has taken place; simply accepting gifts or small amounts of money without evidence of reciprocation might fall under internal disciplanry regulations. For instance, showing that an officer altered a statement so that the briber will not be prosecuted for an offence would be an indication of reciprocation. After describing various forms of coruption and defining what it is, the author continues onto the second part of the chapter explaining a key element in corruption. It described the ‘initiation ceremony’ by fellow officers and this process was also used in the military. The behaviour was described as intinmidating to the point of bullying but the ‘target’ was faced with a stark choice. In this section a former corrupt officer tells his version of this ‘initiation ceremony’. He describes that two armed men, faces hidden by balaclavas, dragged him to waste ground. They forced his face in the mud, handscuffed behind his back , a gun to his head. He heard a click, saw the flash : not a gun, but a camera. He turned his head slowly to see the armed men removing their balaclavas. They were laughing policeman. The not so subtle message was ‘if you keep quiet you are one of us’ hence keeping silent was also an instantaneous test of membership. So the choice for the terrified police officer was, did he want in or out. There are also direct quotes former corrupt cops with one saying, “ I was told there would be 200 dollars a month extra: I knew it was from gambling. It was seen as ‘easy money’ and you were stupid if you didn’t do it. I refused. But then there was the temptation and peer pressure-do you want to be in or out?”