Protector or predator? - Institute for Security Studies

Gareth Newham and Andrew Faull
The same study also found that the greatest negative influences on the outcomes
of ethics and compliance programmes are organisational cultures that demand
obedience to authority or which have a ‘self-interest’ focus. This type of organisational
culture is typical of many police agencies.
Training programmes aimed at changing police culture have to be practical
and part of broader reforms in management and supervision. 145 It must be
recognised that ‘the impact of training dissipates quickly unless reinforced in
daily practice.’ 146 This implies that the way to align values with actual behaviour
is through on-the-job training. Further, those who have the most experience
and first-hand knowledge of policing can have the biggest impact on changing
police behaviour. Thus one way of promoting a culture of integrity is to have experienced
police officials recount their own experiences of ethical dilemmas to
younger or less experienced officials. 147
Organisations are socially constructed realities, and their leaders or managers
act as the block builders, influencing and organising meaning. 148 This is also
true for police agencies, so managers and police officials need to participate in
negotiated rulemaking, ‘in which police culture perspectives are drawn upon in
formulating rules regulating aspects of police practice’. 149
This in turn requires that police managers at all levels shift from a reactive
to a proactive approach to management. There should be an ongoing discussion
between managers and those under their command about the reasons for existing
rules and how rules can be applied in different situations.
Managers also need to offer guidance on how to apply the core values of the police
agency to make ethical decisions when faced with situations that are not explicitly
covered in the rules. This requires that managers adopt an open-door policy with
those under their command and develop a relationship of trust and understanding.
Management training programmes should focus on building the capacity and confidence
of police commanders to manage in this way, and their abilities in this regard
should be positively considered when promoting officials to higher ranks. Some
police agencies have made it a condition that managers spend some time working in
‘internal affairs units’ before being considered for promotion to senior ranks. 150
CommUNity mobiliSATiON
As previously mentioned, public sector corruption cannot be divorced from the
particular political or social ‘environments’ in which the public sector operates.
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