1. World problems
  2. Unethical practices by police forces

Unethical practices by police forces

  • Abuse of police power
  • Police malpractice
  • Illegal law enforcement
  • Intimidation by police officers
  • Misuse of police authority
  • Unfair application of police powers
  • Misconduct of law enforcement officials

Nature

Police authority can be misused by individual officers or entire departments, or the national police force as a body may be the instrument for political repression.

Incidence

Individual abuse of law enforcement authority includes extortion, accepting bribes to cover-up crime, and conspiracy or participation in criminal acts. Individual police officers may unjustly use excessive violence or unnecessarily 'shoot to kill' to apprehend or restrain criminals or suspects. Police departments, local station-houses or constabularies may have policies of protecting vice and gambling; of 'shaking-down' businesses; of harassing minorities and youths; and of maintaining officers on the payroll who are not regularly present for duty. As an instrument of the state, police may be used for surveillance, for maintaining dossiers on civilians, and for unjustly imprisoning civilians.

Narrower

Police brutality
Presentable

Related

SDG

Sustainable Development Goal #16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions

Metadata

Database
World problems
Type
(D) Detailed problems
Subject
  • undefined » Application
  • undefined » Police
  • undefined » Authorities
  • undefined » Nation state
  • undefined » Officials
  • undefined » Change
  • undefined » Law enforcement
  • undefined » Legality
  • undefined » Metapolitics
  • undefined » Crime
  • undefined » Maltreatment
  • Content quality
    Presentable
     Presentable
    Language
    English
    Last update
    May 20, 2022