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Controlling Corruption and Misconduct: A Comparative Examination of Police Practices in Hong Kong and New York

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Asian Journal of Criminology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Police corruption and misconduct are of perpetual concern to both the police and the public. Various measures have been used and programs created to reduce these problems. But existing research indicates that the effects of such measures are either transient or uncertain. Few studies have been conducted to understand the mechanisms for controlling police corruption and misconduct from an international, comparative perspective. This study intends to fill this gap by exploring the experiences of the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) as well as those of the New York Police Department (NYPD). Although Hong Kong is today a part of China, it remains in the Common Law system and its police practices have been highly influenced by Western policing principles, making such a comparison relevant and perhaps useful. The findings of this study suggest that Hong Kong and New York have both adopted various measures for controlling police corruption and misconduct, but have diverged significantly from each other in the structure and content of their control efforts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Law and Justice Studies, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, NJ, 08028-1701, USA

    Allan Y. Jiao

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  1. Allan Y. Jiao
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Correspondence to Allan Y. Jiao.

Appendix

Appendix

Questions Used for Personal Interviews

  1. 1.

    How common are corruption and misconduct among police officers?

  2. 2.

    What types of corruption and misconduct are most common?

  3. 3.

    How do you explain the police corruption and misconduct rates?

  4. 4.

    What do you think is the most important cause of corruption and misconduct?

  5. 5.

    What are the internal control programs and what are their duties and responsibilities?

  6. 6.

    What are some of the typical problems you find through internal channels? What problem causes greatest concern? What do you suggest that the police do to correct them and improve service?

  7. 7.

    Are internal police programs primarily proactive or reactive? How do the police anticipate problems and act accordingly?

  8. 8.

    What kind of corruption and misconduct problems of subordinate officers are you most concerned with? Why?

  9. 9.

    How are subordinates supervised and how closely are they supervised?

  10. 10.

    How often do officers see their supervisors per day while on duty? How much time per day are police officers completely on their own while on duty?

  11. 11.

    Are senior officers usually held accountable for behaviors of their subordinates? To what extent do superior and junior officers share liability for mistakes?

  12. 12.

    Are police officers’ behaviors regulated more by the formal structure or by group membership? What formal and informal activities are devoted to promoting ethical and moral police behaviors? How frequent, extensive, and intensive are they?

  13. 13.

    What are the external oversight mechanisms of the police?

  14. 14.

    What are some of the important goals and objectives of external control mechanisms?

  15. 15.

    Have there been any changes in the organization, policies, personnel, operations, etc., of the external control agency since its inception?

  16. 16.

    How does the external body maintain and ensure its independence and effectiveness?

  17. 17.

    What’s the primary function of the external agency, prevention, education, or deterrence? How are these strategies balanced and how is manpower distributed in these areas?

  18. 18.

    What types of police corruption is the external agency most concerned with?

  19. 19.

    What would make the external agency a more efficient and effective organization?

  20. 20.

    Do you think that police behaviors have been changed fundamentally because of the external control mechanism or because of their own efforts in fighting corruption?

  21. 21.

    What lessons have the police learned from their experience in fighting police corruption and misconduct over the years?

  22. 22.

    What do you think has the greatest impact on police corruption and misconduct?

  23. 23.

    What do you think is most important in controlling or preventing police corruption and misconduct and producing more responsible police behaviors? Better training, better supervision, better recruitment, better pay and benefits, more accountability, more effective external oversight?

  24. 24.

    How would you describe internal police programs’ effect on police corruption and misconduct?

  25. 25.

    How is the external control agency viewed by police officers in general?

  26. 26.

    Which oversight mechanism do you think is more effective in controlling police corruption and malfeasance? Internal disciplinary procedures or external oversight bodies?

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Jiao, A.Y. Controlling Corruption and Misconduct: A Comparative Examination of Police Practices in Hong Kong and New York. Asian Criminology 5, 27–44 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11417-009-9077-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11417-009-9077-4

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