Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Police Integrity in Taiwan and Its Correlates

  • Published:
Asian Journal of Criminology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Police integrity is critically important because of the nature of police work: most police field work is under-supervised where unethical interactions could happen in low visibility, and in a non-invocation milieu. The aim of this research is to investigate police officers’ self-recognized integrity. We broke the new methodological ground by advancing a composite measure of police integrity based on the insight of (Stoddard, The Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology and Police Science 59:201–213, 1968) and tested the extent of police integrity as being related to individual and organizational factors. Data were collected from Taiwan in 2020. We found that police integrity is associated with both individual and organizational factors beyond the demographic control variables of age and education. Specifically, self-control, anti-excessive-force attitudes, moral alignment with citizens, and internal procedural justice are found to be positively correlated with police integrity whereas being previously disciplined is negatively associated. We provide suggestions on how the police organization might exercise some influence on officer integrity based on the findings.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen, M. J., & Yen, W. M. (1979). Introduction to measurement theory. Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bittner, E. (1978). The functions of the police in modern society. In P. K. Manning & J. van Maanen (Eds.), Policing: A view from the street (pp. 32–50). Goodyear Publishing Company Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradford, B., Quinton, P., Myhill, A., & Porter, G. (2014). Why do ‘the law’ comply? European Journal of Criminology, 11, 110–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cao, L., Deng, X., & Barton, S. H. (2000). A test of Lundman’s organizational product thesis with data on citizen complaints. Policing An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 23(3), 356–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cao, L., Huang, L. Y., & Sun, I. Y. (2014). Policing in Taiwan: From authoritarianism to democracy. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Cao, L., Huang, L. Y., & Sun, I. Y. (2016). The development and reform of police training and education in Taiwan. Police Practice & Research, 17(6), 531–542.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chang, C. (2012). Police Policy (in Chinese). The Central Police University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chiu, C.C., & Wu, L. (2015). Taoyuan vows to get to the bottom of the police officer hit-and-run. Central News Agency, 2015, 02, 11: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/2687671

  • Chu, D. C., & Tsao, C. (2014). Attitudes toward women in policing. Policing An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 37(2), 324–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crank, J. P. (1998). Understanding police culture. Anderson Publishing Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Donner, C. M., Fridell, L. A., & Jennings, W. G. (2016). The relationship between self-control and police misconduct. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 43(7), 841–862.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fei, X. (1992). From the soil, the foundations of Chinese society: A translation of Fei Xiaotong’s Xiangtu Zhongguo. University of California Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein, J. (1960). Police discretion not to invoke the criminal process: Low-visibility decisions in the administration of justice. The Yale Law Journal, 69(4), 543–594.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein, H. (1975). Police corruption: A perspective on its nature and control. The Police Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gottfredson, M., & Hirschi, T. (1990). A general theory of crime. Stanford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Grasmick, H. G., Tittle, C. R., Bursik, R. J., Jr., & Arneklev, B. J. (1993). Testing the core empirical implications of Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory of crime. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 30(1), 5–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, C. J., & Worden, R. E. (2014). The effect of sanctions on police misconduct. Crime & Delinquency, 60(8), 1258–1288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hebenton, B., & Jou, S. (2005). In search of criminological tradition: The development of criminology in Taiwan. Crime, Law and Social Change, 44(3), 215–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hioe, B. (2018). Police brutality against migrant workers largely unremarked upon in Taiwan. September 6, 2018, New Bloom: https://newbloommag.net/2018/09/06/migrant-workers-police-brutality/

  • Hioe, B. (2021). Recent incidents highlighted wrongdoings of Taiwanese police. May 5, 2021, New Bloom: https://newbloommag.net/2021/05/05/tw-police-incidents/

  • Huang, L. Y., & Cao, L. (2008). Exploring sexual harassment in a police department in Taiwan. Policing An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 31(2), 324–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huberts, L. W. J. (2018). Integrity: What it is and why it is important. Public Integrity, 20, S18–S32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klockars, C. B., KutnjakIvkovic, S., Harver, W. E., & Haberfeld, M. R. (2000). The measurement of police integrity. US Department of Justice.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Klockars, C. B., KutnjakIvkovic, S., & Haberfeld, M. R. (Eds.). (2004). The contours of police integrity. Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ko, E. (2020). Scandals and reforms: Combating police corruption in Taiwan. Asian Education and Development Studies, 9(2), 183–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuo, S. Y. (2018). Police misconduct in Taiwan: Comparing perceptions of the police and electronic gaming service workers. Crime, Law, & Social Change, 69, 657–679.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • KutnjakIvkovic, S., & Kang, W. (2012). Police integrity in South Korea. Policing An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 35(1), 76–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • KutnjakIvkovic, S., & Sauerman, A. (2015). Threading the thin blue line. Policing and Society, 25(1), 25–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • KutnjakIvkovic, S., Haberfeld, M., & Peacock, R. (2012). Rainless west: The integrity survey’s role in agency accountability. Police Quarterly, 16(2), 148–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lai, Y. L. (2016). College students’ satisfaction with police services in Taiwan. Asian Journal of Criminology, 11, 207–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lai, Y. L., Cao, L., & Zhao, J. S. (2010). The impact of political entity on confidence in legal authorities. Journal of Criminal Justice, 38, 934–941.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Langworthy, R. H., & Travis, L. F., III. (1994). Policing in America: A balance of forces. Macmillan Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, J., Sun, I. Y., Wu, Y., & Chang, Y. (2017). Police supervisors’ work-related attitudes in China. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 50(3), 419–438.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lundman, R. (1979). Organizational norms and police discretion: An observational study of police work with traffic violators. Criminology, 17(2), 159–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lundman, R.J. (1980). Police and policing: An introduction. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

  • Manning, P. K. (1978). The police: Mandate, strategies, and appearances. In P. K. Manning & J. van Maanen (Eds.), Policing: A view from the street (pp. 7–31). Goodyear Publishing Company Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manning, P. K. (2010). Democratic policing in a changing world. Boulder, CO: Paradigm.

  • Martin, J. (2007). A reasonable balance of law and sentiment: Social order in democratic Taiwan from the policeman’s point of view. Law and Society Review, 41, 665–698.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, J. T. (2013). Legitimate force in a particularistic democracy: Street police and outlaw legislators in the Republic of China on Taiwan. Law and Social Inquiry, 38(3), 615–642.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, J. (2014). The Confucian ethic and the spirit of East Asian police: A comparative study in the ideology of democratic policing. Crime, Law and Social Change, 61, 461–490.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maskály, J., KutnjakIvković, S., Haberfeld, M., Christopher, D., Chen, T., & Meyers, M. (2020). Assessing the validity of police integrity scale in a comparative context. Policing & Society, 30(6), 618–638.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pan, J. (2021). Six police charged with corruption. Taipei Times, May 6, 2021. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2021/05/06/2003756942

  • Porter, L. E., & Alpert, G. P. (2017). Understanding police recruits’ attitudes toward public interactions: An Australian example. Police Quarterly, 20(4), 449–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ren, L., Cao, L., Lovrich, N., & Gaffney, M. (2005). Linking confidence in the police with the performance of the police. Journal of Criminal Justice, 33, 55–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherman, L. (eds.). (1974). Police corruption: A sociological perspective. Garden City: Anchor Book.

  • Stoddard, E. R. (1968). The informal “code” of police deviance. The Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology and Police Science, 59(2), 201–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, I. Y., Wu, Y., Triplett, R., & Wang, S. Y. K. (2016). The impact of media exposure and political party orientation on public perceptions of police in Taiwan. Policing An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 39(4), 694–709.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, I. Y., Wu, Y., Van Craen, M., & Hsu, K. K. L. (2018). Internal procedural justice, moral alignment, and external procedural justice in democratic policing. Police Quarterly, 21(3), 387–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, I. Y., Wu, Y., Liu, J., & Van Craen, M. (2019). Institutional procedural justice and street procedural justice in Chinese policing: The mediating role of moral alignment. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 52(2), 272–290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tankebe, J. (2010). Identifying the correlates of police organizational commitment in Ghana. Police Quarterly, 13, 73–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The China Post New Staff. (2016). Taipei police officers embroiled in investment fraud scandal. The China Post, June 8, 2016. https://chinapost.nownews.com/20160608-21782

  • The Republic of China Yearbook (2016). https://issuu.com/eyroc/docs/the_republic_of_china_yearbook_2016

  • Van Damme, A. (2017). The impact of police contact on trust and police legitimacy in Belgium. Policing & Society, 27(2), 205–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vito, G. F., Wolfe, S., Higgins, G. E., & Walsh, W. F. (2011). Police integrity. Criminal Justice Review, 36(2), 152–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, S. Y. K., Sun, I. Y., Wu, Y., Van Craen, M., & Hsu, K. K. L. (2020). Does trust in supervisors translate to compliance and cooperation? Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 53(3), 433–453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, J. Q. (1968). Varieties of police behavior. Harvard University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, Y. (2014). The impact of media on public trust in legal authorities in China and Taiwan. Asian Journal of Criminology, 9(2), 85–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, Y., Sun, I. Y., Chang, C. K. M., & Hsu, K. K. L. (2017). Procedural justice received and given. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 44(7), 963–982.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, G., Makin, D. A., Li, Y., Boateng, F. D., & Abess, G. (2018). Police integrity in China. Policing An International Journal, 41(5), 563–577.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu, C., Chen, C. M., Juang, W. J., & Hu, L. T. (2008). Does democracy breed integrity? Crime, Law and Social Change, 49(3), 167–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Y., Cao, L., & Vaughn, M. S. (2009). Social support and corruption. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 42(2), 204–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, J., He, N., & Lovrich, N. P. (2003). Community policing: Did it change the basic functions of policing in the 1990s? A National Follow-up Study. Justice Quarterly, 20(4), 697–724.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The data utilized in this study were part of a larger project on police training that was funded by Taiwan Police College (No. 5). Points of view or opinions contained in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official positions or policies of the funding agency. We appreciate anonymous reviewers’ comments and helpful suggestions from Editor Jianhong Liu.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, Canada

    Liqun Cao

  2. Taiwan Police College, Taipei, Taiwan

    Fei-Lin Chen

  3. Wayne State University, Detroit, USA

    Yuning Wu

  4. The University of Delaware, Newark, USA

    Ivan Y. Sun

Authors
  1. Liqun Cao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fei-Lin Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yuning Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ivan Y. Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Liqun Cao.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interests

Data collected were funded by Taiwan Police College. The manuscript is not funded by any agency. There are no conflicts of interests/competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Appendix. Summary of index measures used in the analysis

Appendix. Summary of index measures used in the analysis

All responses are the Likert scales with 1 = very strongly agree to 6 = very strongly disagree with reversed order for anti-force attitudes, moral alignment, and internal procedural justice.

Self-control index (alpha = 0.845):

I often act on the spur of the moment without stopping to think.

I often do whatever brings me pleasure here and now, even at the cost of some distant goal.

The things in life that are easiest to do bring me the most pleasure.

Sometimes I will take a risk just for the fun of it.

Excitement and adventure are more important to me than security.

In order to achieve my goal, I will adhere to my own practice, even when I know it’s causing problems for other people.

Often, when I’m angry at people I feel more like hurting them than talking to them about why I am angry.

Anti-excessive force attitudes (alpha = 0.872):

In some cases, the use of more force than is allowed should be tolerated;

When a suspected person behaves annoyingly, use of physical force is adequate.

Police officers should act using force more often.

A police officer is regularly in situations where it is more adequate to use physical force than to keep on talking to a person.

Sometimes, forceful police actions are highly educational for civilians.

The more frequent police use of force could strengthen the public’s willingness to obey.

If the police do not show their strength of using force, the public would consider them weak.

Moral Alignment Index (alpha = 0.812):

Generally speaking, most people are on the side of the law when it comes what is right and wrong;

The public and the police generally have the same sense of right and wrong;

The norms and values that I spread as a police officer are also important to the public;

In carrying my job, I strongly take into account what citizens expect from the police;

I gear the way I function to what is important to citizens;

The police stand up for values that are important to people.

(The response categories were reversed so that higher scores represent more agreement with the public).

Internal procedural justice index (alpha = 0.95):

My supervisors are impartial when making decisions.

My supervisors treat me with dignity and respect.

My supervisors respect me as a person.

My supervisors show an interest in what their people have to say.

When making policy choices, my supervisors sufficiently explain why these choices are being made.

When they are giving instructions, my supervisors explain why they give these instructions.

My supervisors are fair in their decision-making.

My supervisors are open to proposals and suggestions from their people.

My supervisors give explanations for decisions they make that affect me.

(The response scores were reversed so that the higher scores indicate higher scores of internal procedure justice).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Cao, L., Chen, FL., Wu, Y. et al. Police Integrity in Taiwan and Its Correlates. Asian J Criminol 17, 353–369 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11417-022-09369-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11417-022-09369-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation