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Top ten countries with the most corrupt police in the world

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Corruption in the police department across the globe is not a strange thing. In fact, it has spread across the globe. In this article, we will be looking at the top ten countries with the most corrupt police in the world.

Internationally recognised bodies are ladened with the responsibility of putting out indices that would help the National government and the UN to understand the state of the countries’ security.

World Internal Security and Police Index (WISPI)

What is WISPI? “The World Internal Security and Police Index (WISPI) should not be thought of as a measure of the level of ‘internal security’ at the country level.

Rather, the Index aims to measure the ability of the security apparatus within a country to respond to internal security challenges, both now and in the future.

So for the purpose of the Index, ‘security apparatus’ predominantly refers to the police.

This means that a country that currently does not have many internal security issues, or relies upon tacit rather than explicit enforcement, may have a worse rank than a country that has more issues but has also devoted more police resources to keep them contained.

The Sharjah Police Department and the International Police Science Association (IPSA) commissioned this index and the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). developed it.

It considers security issues in 127 countries, across four domains, making use of 16 indicators.

These four domains include:

  • Capacity: The capacity domain examines the resources that a nation devotes to internal security. It borders around four indicators known as Police, Armed Forces, Private Security, Prison Capacity.
  • Process: The process domain looks at whether the resources devoted to internal security are used in an effective manner. It borders around corruption, effectiveness, underreporting and bribe payment to police.
  • Legitimacy: The legitimacy domain is a test of whether the public sees security providers, especially the police, in a favourable light. its indicators are confidence in the police, due process, public use, private gain and political terror.
  • Outcomes: This domain assesses current threats to internal security. It borders around homicide, violent crimes, terrorism and public safety perception.

Now that external security concerns have declined, and wars between nations have become less frequent, internal security has become the principal interest of the nation-state.

In many countries, resources dedicated to national security have increased significantly, but severe menaces are still prevalent.

Migration, regional contagion, civil unrest, corruption, and terrorism all remain serious threats to internal security in the 21st century.

While ‘internal security’ is usually imagined in terms of disputes between the state and insurgency groups within a nation’s borders, a more precise representation includes any factor or process that threatens the state.

Simply put, internal security as measured by the WISPI is the ability of police to achieve security within society and the safety of its members.

Having considered all these, the WISPI ranked the countries with the most corrupt police force in the following order.

Top Ten Countries With The Most Corrupt Police Force

Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with a greater percentage on this list.

1. Nigeria

The WISPI ranked the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) as the number one worst police department in the world.

Obviously, this shouldn’t be a surprise as the police have always had negative reports tarnishing their image.

In fact, in terms of respect of law and order, the Nigerian police scores zero. They have no regard for the constitution not to talk of Court orders.

Across the country, you would see police roadblocks meant to stop and search vehicles for any breakdown of law and order but No. most of them only stop, harass and collect money from car owners and passers-by.

A department in the Nigerian Police known as the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) is known for brutalizing innocent citizens even unto death.

For many years, bribery and corruption in broad daylight, stealing and several other vices are often left unchecked in the NPF.

Furthermore, cases of killings, torture, the arrest of innocent civilians have been reported.

Top ten countries with the most corrupt police in the world
Top ten countries with the most corrupt police in the world

In fact, in the month of October 2020, Nigerians across the country took to the streets to protest the incessant killings of innocent citizens.

The protest lasted for over two weeks. However, it ended in more loss of lives and properties with a positive result yet to be seen.

Nigeria performed worst on the WISPI, it is arguably the only country that performed extremely poor across every single indicator and domain in the Index.

Nigeria, with over 200 million population, is the most under-policed entity in the world (219 policemen for every 100,000 Nigerians, well below the Index Median of 300 and the 268 sub-Saharan average).

According to the WISPI, Nigeria scored 0.416, 0.156, 0.264, 0.226, and 0% in Capacity, Process, Legitimacy, Outcomes and Imputed data respectively.

With an overall score of 0.255, the WISPI ranked Nigeriaas the country with the most corrupt police force.

2. congo

The second most corrupt police force on this list is the National police force of Congo

The Congolese National police consists of 110,000–150,000 officers and operate on the provincial level.

Over time, the Congolese police have been identified with widespread corruption, oppression of political nonconformists, and other human rights abuses.

Hence, WISPI scored Congo 0.440, 0.195, 0.227,0.268 and 38% in Capacity, Process, Legitimacy, Outcomes and Imputed data respectively.

The Congolese police have 0.272 in over all score making them the second most corrupt police in the world.

3. Kenya

The third country on this list of most corrupt police in the world is Kenya. A history of human rights abuses has marred the Kenya police force.

Apparently, the government pay Kenya policemen poorly and this has made them very susceptive to bribery, corruption and crime.

Moreover, Kenyans rank their police among the most corrupt bodies in the country.

Reports by WISPI shows that Kenya score 0.214, 0.180, 0.322, 0.456 and 0% in Capacity, Process, Legitimacy; Outcomes and Imputed data respectively.

Overall, the Kenya police score 0.298 making them the third most corrupt police force in the world.

4. Uganda

The fourth country on this list is another East-Africa country, Uganda. In a nationwide survey, the majority of Ugandan respondents believe that the country’s police are very corrupt.

According to these respondents, police corruption is at a whooping 75% with relation to bribery, fraud and extortion.

This was included in a report titled ‘‘National Service Delivery Survey of 2015″ released by the Uganda Bureau of Statistic (UBOS). They ranked Uganda Police Force as the most corrupt government institution in the country.

Moreover, according to WISPI, the Uganda police is the fourth most corrupt police in the world.

According to the statistics, Uganda scores 0.224, 0.219, 0.411, 0.372 and 6% in Capacity, Process, Legitimacy, Outcomes and Imputed data respectively.

Overall, the Uganda police score 0.312 making them the fourth most corrupt police force in the world.

5. Pakistan

The first Asian country on this list is Pakistan. The South-Asian country falls short in several standards set by the WISPI.

Reports of government accountability; redress institutions and Public surveys show that the police are one of the most widely dreaded; complained against, and least trusted government institutions in Pakistan.

Furthermore, according to the report, the police lack a transparent system of accountability and is plagued by corruption at the highest levels.

The police at the District-level are often under the control of powerful politicians; wealthy landowners, and other influential members of society.

This report documents custodial torture, extrajudicial executions, in addition to other serious human rights violations by the police in Pakistan.

Top ten countries with the most corrupt police in the world
Top ten countries with the most corrupt police in the world

It details the difficulties that victims of crime and police abuse face in obtaining justice.

According to WISPI, Pakistan police score 0.729, 0.239, 0.173, 0.348 and 13% in Capacity, Process, Legitimacy, Outcomes and Imputed data respectively.

The overall stats show that Pakistan score 0.349 making them the fifth most corrupt police force in the world.

6. Mozambique

The Mozambique Republic Police (PRM) is responsible for public order, protection of people and property, emergency services and national security.

In Mozambique, citizens regard their police as the most corrupt institution in the country.

Moreover, as of 2010, 47% of those who had been in contact with the police reported paying bribes (Transparency International, 2011).

Furthermore, according to the four domain used as a standard by the WISPI, the Mozambique police scores 0.534, 0.249, 0.394, 0.265 and 25% in Capacity; Process, Legitimacy, Outcomes and Imputed data respectively.

In the overall assessment, they score a total of 0.349 making them the sixth most corrupt police force in the world.

7. Bangladesh

Bangladesh is the seventh country on this list and the second Asian country on the list.

There have been decades of misuse and neglect. Bangladesh’s police are a source of anxiety and terror rather than a key component of a democratic society.

Human rights abuses are prevalent and almost all Bangladeshis who interact with the police complain of corruption.

As expected, the WISPI report validates the complaints of the people. According to the WISPI, Bangladesh score 0.244, 0.195, 0.328, 0.701, 6% in Capacity, Process, Legitimacy, Outcomes and Imputed data respectively.

Overall, they score 0.375 making them the seventh most corrupt police in the world.

8. Cameroon

Police corruption is not strange to Cameroon police. In fact, it is endemic.

The police institution is a tool in the hands of politicians to stifle any forms of opposition. Obviously, this has resulted in a system in which premeditated crime can thrive.

According to a survey carried out by Transparency International in Cameroon, the institution of the police is perceived as suffering from endemic corruption with its impacts spreading to affect almost the entire country (Transparency International, 2016).

Top ten countries with the most corrupt police in the world
Top ten countries with the most corrupt police in the world

According to the WISPI analysis using the four domains as mentioned above, Cameroon scores 0.376, 0.414, 0.195, 0.356, 0.549 and 6% in Capacity; Process, Legitimacy, Outcomes and Imputed data respectively.

In an overall assessment, they score 0.376 making them the eight most corrupt police force in the world.

9. Venezuela

The first South American country on this list is Venezuela. Venezuela’s police force is not subject to any kind of authority or control — be it formal or informal; internal or external.

Therefore, it is not a surprise that corruption in the Venezuela police force continues to increase.

These security forces continually make the headlines as suspects or alleged accomplices, facilitators or perpetrators of severe crimes; obviously, this goes to show the high-level decay and corruption of the country’s security force.

Also, the WISPI report on the most corrupt police force in the world confirms this. In the report, the Venezuelan police scores 0.676, 0.191, 0.360, 0.372 and 13% in Capacity, Process, Legitimacy, Outcomes and Imputed data respectively.

Overall, they have a score of 0.381 making them the ninth most corrupt police force in the world

10. Mexico

“Mexico’s police force is infamous for their corruption, their use of torture and violence, and their ties to organized crime,” said José Miguel Vivanco, America’s director at Human Rights Watch. 

In Mexico, death at the hands of police, random detention, torture in police custody is quite a norm.

Furthermore, collaboration between police and criminal cartels occur frequently.

In June 2020, protesters assembled in cities across Mexico in response to a series of high-profile killings of unarmed civilians by local and municipal police. 

Nearly all crimes go unreported, uninvestigated, and unpunished in Mexico. According to the nongovernmental group Zero Impunity (Impunidad Cero), Mexican authorities resolve only about 1 per cent of crimes, including police abuses. 

As a matter of fact, the Mexican police force is especially vulnerable to bribery and infiltration by drug cartels, due to low salaries and a lack of government support.

Obviously, this makes the bribes paid by criminal mafias greatly charming. 

Moreover, the WISPI analysis shows that 0.780, 0.246, 0.264, 0.384 and 0% in Capacity, Process; Legitimacy, Outcomes and Imputed data respectively.

Overall, they have a score of 0.394 making them the tenth most corrupt police force in the world.

Conclusion

Apparently, the prominent cause of crime noted during this research was often due to low salaries; lack of merit and accountability.

Furthermore, the police department of most countries recruits uneducated persons whose values are not aligned with the police corp.

These unqualified persons bribe their way into the police academy just to have a job.

Unfortunately, even police officers that received training in these countries are also corrupt.

In fact, the cancer of this peril has spread to every country with no one spared.

As a matter of fact, it will take an intentional effort by countries of this world to curb the menace of police corruption.

So, what do you think about corruption in the police force across the world?

Also, how do you think this corruption be checked?

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