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Article
Publication date: 11 May 2020

Kwun-fu Chan

This study aims to examine the problems encountered during the establishment of the Central Police Academy (CPA) under the Nationalist regime from 1936 to 1949. While the…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the problems encountered during the establishment of the Central Police Academy (CPA) under the Nationalist regime from 1936 to 1949. While the authoritarian party-state unified the police academies by forceful means, this catalyzed the cleavage between the schools of police studies and resulted in power struggles over police education, intellectual thought, collectivity and even the national reform of police administration. More than narrating the progress of power consolidation, this study attempts to identify the problems underlying the factional strife and to reveal the interwoven pattern of these power struggles, exploring the confusion regarding what the police is, a question that troubled Chinese policemen from the mainland to Taiwan.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper explains the emergence of the factional strife from the beginning of the preliminary growth of the Police Academies in Nanking and Chekiang. It widely makes use of the official archives from Japan Center for Asian Historical Records and Historica Academia to show the dynamic situation in police education and administration. Rather, the official publications of the Police Academies and their affiliated associations reveal the hidden political agenda behind a unified framework as the party-state claimed. Moreover, official gazettes, memorials and newspapers are also used to strengthen the core argument of this study.

Findings

This paper examines the impact of the factional strife between the police leaders Dai Li and Li Shizhen on the CPA from 1936 to 1949. It illustrates that the establishment of the CPA ostensibly unified the nationwide police force but triggered power struggles over the control of the police administration. More importantly, it also shows how the factions strove for larger shares of power under the supreme doctrines that Chiang Kai-shek and the party-state imposed.

Originality/value

The failure of police education to become powerful was a special case among other more typical institutions. The governors coercively merged the police academies and created robust conditions for growth under the shelter of state authority. The police force did not follow the same path of national monopoly as what recent studies found but drifted apart with its vested interests and incompatible beliefs. Hence, the greater the demand for centralized control by the state, the greater the tension of the factional strife.

Details

Social Transformations in Chinese Societies, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1871-2673

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 September 2019

Jin-Wook Choi and Jina Bak

The purpose of this paper is to examine the roots of police corruption, evaluate the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures, and suggest recommendations to prevent and control…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the roots of police corruption, evaluate the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures, and suggest recommendations to prevent and control police corruption in South Korea.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopts a qualitative approach to identify the key causes and to assess the reform agenda of police corruption in South Korea. In doing so, it introduces a brief history and profile of the police force, explores changes in police corruption, identifies the roots of police corruption, assesses the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures and offers policy recommendations to curb corruption in the South Korean police.

Findings

This paper claims that conventional and current anti-corruption measures have not been effective in minimizing police corruption in South Korea. It identifies the scope of police work and duties without proper accountability, a code of silence in police organizations, the low ethical standards of police officers and weak punitive measures against corrupt police officers as the main causes of corruption. Strenuous reform efforts that directly target these causes are needed to reduce corruption in the South Korean police.

Originality/value

This paper will be a useful reference for readers who are interested in why corruption has not been effectively prevented and controlled in the South Korean police.

Details

Asian Education and Development Studies, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-3162

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 October 2019

Jon S.T. Quah

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the contextual differences and causes of police corruption in Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan and to assess their…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the contextual differences and causes of police corruption in Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan and to assess their governments’ effectiveness in minimising this problem.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper begins by identifying the contextual differences in the five countries before analysing their major causes of police corruption and their governments’ effectiveness in minimising it.

Findings

Police corruption is a more serious problem in Indonesia and the Philippines because of their more difficult governance environments, low salaries of police officers, red tape, lack of meritocracy in recruitment and promotion, and lack of accountability of police officers. By contrast, the perceived extent of police corruption has declined in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan in recent years because of the improvement in the salaries of their police officers and the implementation of various police reforms.

Originality/value

This comparative analysis of combating police corruption in five Asian countries will be of interest to policy makers and scholars concerned with minimising this problem.

Details

Asian Education and Development Studies, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-3162

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 August 2010

Chang‐Hun Lee, Jung‐Mi Kim and Jong‐Gil Kim

The aim of the current study is three‐fold: it aims to empirically investigates the relationship between officers' perceptions on organizational structure and preventive policing

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the current study is three‐fold: it aims to empirically investigates the relationship between officers' perceptions on organizational structure and preventive policing practices (PPP) in the South Korean context; it attempts to find what aspects of organizational characteristics will be influential in police officers' day‐to‐day activities;, utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM), it aims to identitify the complex networks of influences among various organizational aspects.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study utilizes data collected from two different samples: a total of 146 randomly selected police officers in a metropolitan police agency, and 60 police officers who were attending a community policing training course. Overall response rate was 73.6 percent. The organizational characteristics investigated include strategic direction, decentralization of authority, system flexibility, reward system, and open‐system feedback mechanism.

Findings

The results of SEM indicate that officers' perceptions on organizational structure (except open‐system feedback mechanism) of Korean police agency do not influence an individual police officer's preventive policing activity. The study found a significant relationship between officers' perceptions on open‐system structure and preventive policing practice. Finally, the study also identified a complex network of organizational traits on preventive policing: strategic direction influences all other organizational factors; system flexibility is a prerequisite for the open system; and decentralization of authority influences the open system structure.

Research limitations/implications

Although this study uniquely utilized organizational factors measured at the individual level, one may criticize the lack of a more direct organizational measure, such as organizational size, age, task scope, or number of ranks. Future study on this topic will benefit from employing both direct and indirect organizational measures.

Originality/value

The current study enhances the understanding of individual perception of organizational characteristics on police officers' day‐to‐day preventive policing activities.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 33 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 May 2012

Diana L. Summers and Emil W. Pływaczewski

The dynamics of drug use and trafficking in Poland have changed dramatically since the early 1990s. These changes include legal definitions of drug use, the actors involved in…

Abstract

Purpose

The dynamics of drug use and trafficking in Poland have changed dramatically since the early 1990s. These changes include legal definitions of drug use, the actors involved in trafficking, and the types of drugs traversing the country. The Polish police force experienced two significant reforms in the 1990s and drug‐related legislation underwent significant reconstruction in 1997 and 2000, while drug trafficking operations continue to persist by organized criminal groups. The purpose of this study is to qualitatively investigate these police reforms and drug legislation developments since 1990, and empirically analyze the interaction effects of these reforms with drug trafficking arrests in Poland.

Design/methodology/approach

Officially reported annual data were tested using multivariate regression analyses.

Findings

The findings observed from this exploratory study suggest that both the police reforms and changes in drug‐related legislation positively affected the number of arrests for drug trafficking. Additionally, this study found support for an increase in efficiency of the policing model despite the recent decline in the strength of the police force. Interestingly, the number of police officers in the country had no effect on any of the variables.

Research limitations/implications

Quantitatively, the small number of observations poses limitations on the interpretation of the multivariate regression results. In addition, future research should include additional explanatory variables to achieve a greater comprehensive summary of the interaction effects of policing reforms and drug‐related legislation with drug trafficking arrests.

Practical implications

This paper illustrates the need for accurate and timely national‐level, systematically collected data on drug‐ and police‐related indicators that will allow for more inclusive and comprehensive analyses.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first to empirically examine potential interaction effects of police reform and drug‐related legislation on drug trafficking arrests in Poland.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 35 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 May 2012

Chang‐Hun Lee and Hyunseok Jang

This study aimed to identify a model investigating effects of organizational characteristics on COP activity, and to compare the model in different social contexts to broaden the…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to identify a model investigating effects of organizational characteristics on COP activity, and to compare the model in different social contexts to broaden the understanding of COP implementation. In addition, this study was intended to address an ecological fallacy committed in the prior studies so as to carry out a theoretically and methodologically rigorous comparative study of COP implementation between South Korea and the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

Unlike prior studies, which utilized direct measures of organizational characteristics, this study analyzed data on police officers' perceptions on organizational characteristics to investigate COP activities among police officers. For data collection, this study utilized an organizational survey developed by the School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University and collected data from 206 police officers in South Korea and 231 police officers in the USA. Structural equation modeling was used to identify the best fitting model to the combined data set, and multiple group analysis was performed to compare the model in both countries. For direct comparison and test of comparability, this study used matching for sampling and multiple group analysis method of SEM.

Findings

Findings indicated that both organizational flexibility and decentralization were important factors influencing COP activity in the USA, but decentralization of authority was the only important factor affecting COP activity in South Korea. Also, it was found that organizational philosophy had greater influence on organizational structure in the USA than in South Korea. In both countries, decentralization influenced feedback mechanism, but feedback mechanism did not influence COP activity. Likewise, flexibility influenced reward system, but the system did not influence COP activity in both countries.

Research limitations/implications

Although this study utilized matching and multiple group analysis for comparison between two countries, it may be possible that direct comparison regarding police organization would be difficult due to unmeasured aspects of organizational contexts.

Originality/value

Although many studies have been conducted to investigate effects of organizational factors on COP implementation, there has been a lack of study in South Korea. In addition, there is a vacuum of empirical study on comparison across different countries regarding the factors. In this sense, this study produced important comparative knowledge on COP implementation.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 35 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 November 2011

Chang‐Hun Lee and Chang‐Bae Lee

Prior studies examining the relationship between organizational commitment and organizational behavior contain several limitations, such as mixed levels of measurement and lack of…

Abstract

Purpose

Prior studies examining the relationship between organizational commitment and organizational behavior contain several limitations, such as mixed levels of measurement and lack of empirical study in different social contexts. Using Mowday, Porter, and Steers's approach, this study aims to investigate individual demographic, personal, departmental and community characteristics as factors affecting police officers' levels of strategy commitment.

Design/methodology/approach

Using attitudinal measures of individual, departmental, and community traits, which were developed by Michigan Regional Community Policing Institute, the current study collected data from 206 randomly selected South Korean police officers who were designated as community‐oriented policing (COP) officers or who were under COP training at the time of the survey.

Findings

The current study found that officers' creativity and community ownership were significantly related to strategy commitment to COP. In addition, it was found that officers' demographic characteristics were not significantly related to the levels of commitment to COP. Regarding departmental characteristics, supportive climate among officers was significantly and positively related to officers' levels of commitment to COP. Finally, officers in rural agencies were more likely to have higher levels of commitment to COP in South Korea.

Research limitations/implications

Although the current study utilized random samples for data collection, the size of the data set was relatively small. Thus, generalization of the findings from this study should be cautiously carried out. Based on the findings, policy implications are suggested.

Originality/value

The current study attempts to identify factors affecting commitment to COP at multiple levels (individual, organizational and community levels) using attitudinal measures of various aspects of policing in South Korea. The findings will add to the comparative understanding on officers' commitment to COP.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 34 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 March 2011

Chang‐Hun Lee and Junseob Moon

The purpose of the current study is to address limitations identified in the literature on officers' attitudes and their effects on community policing activity. Prior studies are…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the current study is to address limitations identified in the literature on officers' attitudes and their effects on community policing activity. Prior studies are limited in that attitudes toward COP strategy were treated as outcome variables and that factors affecting officers' attitudes were under‐investigated. The current study employed officers' attitudes toward individual and departmental policing as well as perception of community relationship to investigate path mechanisms among these exogenous variables and their direct and indirect effects on COP activity.

Design/methodology/approach

The data utilized for structural equation modeling were collected from 206 South Korean police officers, who were designated as COP officers or who were under COP training at the time of the survey. Variables were measured by an organizational survey developed by the Michigan Regional Community Policing Institute. Based on results of the literature review, a hypothesized structural model was proposed and tested to identify a best‐fitting model, explaining the greatest amount of variance in COP activity.

Findings

The results of SEM indicated that officers' positive attitude toward managerial leadership was one of the direct influences on COP activity, and cynicism toward departmental policing and its effectiveness directly and negatively influenced COP activity. In addition, cynicism was negatively influenced by community ownership and job satisfaction, and it in turn negatively influenced commitment to COP. Finally, community ownership directly and positively influenced strategic commitment among South Korean police officers.

Research limitations/implications

Although the current study utilized data collected from a random sample, the number of data are relatively small, so as to make generalization of the findings to the entire population of South Korean police departments.

Originality/value

The current study investigated attitudinal factors that have not been examined in previous studies on COP implementation. In addition, using SEM, the current study attempted to identify a path mechanism among various attitudinal variables relevant to COP activity.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 34 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 September 2021

David R. White, Joseph Schafer and Michael Kyle

The purpose of this study is to explore the impacts coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had on US police academies’ production of police recruits.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the impacts coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had on US police academies’ production of police recruits.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a national online survey of police academy directors in the USA, followed by purposive, semi-structured interviews of select academy directors. A combination of quantitative and qualitative data is combined in a mixed methods approach.

Findings

The findings suggest that academies experienced a range of impacts related to COVID-19. These impacts lead to more questions concerning how academies and state-level governing boards responded not only to pandemic-related challenges, but also to their willingness to accept more online and alternative curriculum delivery strategies.

Originality/value

Police academies are a required step in the production of new police recruits in the USA, but researchers have paid little attention to how academies operate. While exploratory, this study provides some insights into how this aspect of policing weathered the COVID-19 pandemic, and offers suggestions for future research, as well as policy implications.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. 45 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 May 2007

Johan Lundin and Urban Nuldén

The purpose of the paper is to show how professional tools trigger workplace learning. The daily mundane work of Swedish police officers has been studied to investigate how the…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to show how professional tools trigger workplace learning. The daily mundane work of Swedish police officers has been studied to investigate how the use of police tools triggers learning through discussions in police practice.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through a field study consisting of extensive observations and interviews. The interviews mainly took place in the actual practice of the officers. Situated learning and communities of practice served as an analytical lens.

Findings

The study revealed how the use of specific police tools resulted in conversations among the officers. Theses conversations are claimed to be vital parts of the community, and thus the learning of the community of police practice. The paper shows how tools make the ways of working, i.e. police practice, available for discussion and collective reflection.

Originality/value

The paper is an in‐depth investigation of a relatively closed sector of society. The paper can inspire researchers to embark on similar studies of other practices. The paper provides novel ways of thinking about how learning takes place in everyday work, not planned and organized by management, but rather as a necessity driven by new tools, and how tools are involved in work.

Details

Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 19 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-5626

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 5000