Why the Zero-Tolerance Strategy in Police Departments Has Failed

Simonovic, Edelbacher, & Nurgaliyev's article 'Reactive and Proactive Measures of Police Corruption Control' examines the public's attitudes regarding the effectiveness of measures that have been put in place to control police corruption. This study focuses on three nations, Austria, Kazakstan, and Serbia. In the three cases, the investigator used questionnaires concentrated on two issues. First, the respondents had to note whether anti-corruption measures are applied in their nations and move to rate the frequency at which the regulations are enforced. The entire paper is divided into sub0-topics allowing the reader to be introduced to the issue under investigation before advancing to specific information about the corruption in the police force. This paper provides a summary of Simonovic, Edelbacher, & Nurgaliyev's study 'Reactive and Proactive Measures of Police Corruption Control.' The researchers' introduction informs the audience about the importance of undertaking the study. Simonovic and his colleagues highlight the importance of having a transparent and diligent police force and how corruption undermines the legitimacy of law enforcers. For instance, corruption has been portrayed as a barrier to exercising other human rights as it destroys the fundamental values of both human dignity as well as political equality. For this reason, corruption in the police force should be dealt with by implementing effective measures. The study utilized a comparative research approach to analyze the multidimensional and complex phenomenon influencing the attitudes and evaluation of police officers in dealing with corruption. A standard questionnaire with questions related to both dependent and independent variables was used in Austria, Serbia, and Kazakhstan. The responses differed because the three nations have varying social, political, and economic conditions as depicted by the different corruption index. After examining the collected data, the researchers established that all three nations had specific measures meant to regulate the decisions and actions undertaken by police. In general, the public was unsatisfied with the anti-corruption standards that have been put in place. But they believe that the application of some of the measures used in the developed world could result in a significant anti-corruption effect. Respondents from Austria recorded a relatively higher level of satisfaction with the set anti-corruption rules compared to those in Serbia and Kazakhstan. In the discussion section, the authors illustrate that the prevention of corruption in the police force begins by having strong leadership at the top to ensure that equality and zero tolerance to corruption. The authors concluded that in Austria, a police officer who is suspected of bribery faces mandatory suspension without exceptions. However, this level of discipline is not witnessed in Serbia and Kazakhstan, which indicates that the two nations do not uphold the principle of zero tolerance. Simonovic, Edelbacher, & Nurgaliyev conclude that failure to implement the zero-tolerance strategy in police force renders all attempts to promote the profession's integrity futile. Available literature stresses the essence of strong leadership as it allows efficient detection, investigation, and the discipline of bribery cases. However, this research emphasizes that for strong leadership to attain a positive result, the court and judicial system must be efficient. Court inefficiencies mean that perpetrators might not face the necessary punishment, which derails the efforts of law enforcement management to note and deal with corruption. The authors' final remark is that the new tactic will not eliminate corruption. Therefore, the involved parties should aim at devising realistic goals and follow through to maximize positive outcomes. 

Reference 

Simonovic, B., Edelbacher, M., & Nurgaliyev, B. (n.d.). REactive and Proactive Measures of POlice Corruption Control .