Therapeutic Effectiveness of Self-Efficacy in the Reduction of Police Attitude to Corruption in Nigeria
| Author | Les Johnston,Amos Oyesoji Aremu,Francis Pakes |
| Published date | 01 December 2009 |
| Date | 01 December 2009 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1350/pojo.2009.82.4.475 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
AMOS OYESOJI AREMU
Visiting Commonwealth Fellow at the Institute of Criminal
Justice Studies, University of Portsmouth, UK; Department of
Guidance & Counselling, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
FRANCIS PAKES
Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, University of Portsmouth,
UK
LES JOHNSTON
Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, University of Portsmouth,
UK
THERAPEUTIC EFFECTIVENESS
OF SELF-EFFICACY IN THE
REDUCTION OF POLICE
ATTITUDE TO CORRUPTION IN
NIGERIA
This study investigates the therapeutic effectiveness of self-
efficacy as a counselling strategy in tackling the Nigeria Police
Force attitude to corruption. Using a quasi-experimental
approach, 200 police personnel were purposively and con-
veniently sampled from two State Police Commands, Ogun
and Lagos States. With the aid of an instrument, the Police
Attitude to Corruption Scale, administered twice (pre- and
post-test), results showed that the self-efficacy counselling
strategy positively influences corruption attitudes of the treated
group. Gender was found to moderate significantly, with
female police officers showing more positive change than their
male counterparts. The results suggest the inclusion of self-
efficacy counselling as a bottom-up approach strategy in tack-
ling corruption in the Nigerian Police. The implications of this
on police transformation, police practice and counselling prac-
tice were discussed.
Keywords: Nigeria; police corruption; self-efficacy
Introduction
It is safe to conclude that police corruption is universal and not
the prerogative of any particular country’s police. For example,
Sherman (1978) submitted that in America, police officers have
been involved in activities such as extortion of money and/or
The Police Journal, Volume 82 (2009) 331
DOI: 10.1358/pojo.2009.82.4.475
narcotics from organised crime; they have accepted bribes, and
they have sold narcotics. Similarly, Knapp (1972) states that part
of police corruption in America includes regular payments of
money to the police by gamblers and prostitutes. In the United
Kingdom, Newburn (1999) notes that corruption in the police
service has come under increasing public and official scrutiny in
recent times. He submitted, however, that the police service in
the United Kingdom is putting in place a range of short- and
long-term reforms to tackle malpractice and misconduct within
its ranks. In Australia, Finnane (1994) also notes that there is
considerable evidence of long-standing corruption within the
ranks of Australian police. Corroborating this, Wood, Davis and
Rouse (2003) stressed that there is widespread and organised
corruption within the police service in Australia. In India, Verma
(1999) avers that police have an unsavoury reputation for corrup-
tion, and concluded that corruption in the Indian police is a
pervasive and persistent phenomenon. Newburn (1999) sums up
key findings on police corruption as follows:
●It is pervasive, in that corrupt practices are found in many
police agencies;
●It is a continuing problem, in that there is evidence of
corruption at all stages of police history;
●It is not simply a problem of the lower ranks; it cuts across
ranks;
●There are certain areas of policing that are more ‘at risk’
of corruption; and
●It is not mainly financial; it extends beyond bribery and
extortion.
Newburn’s (1999) submissions are also typical of what obtains
in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). Corruption has been well
rooted in the NPF for a long time, and cuts across its rank and
file. In Nigeria, about 70% of the police is constituted of officers
from the junior cadre. These officers are mostly of the rank of
constable and corporal, and are the officers most visible to the
public. They tend to be limited in education and social position,
poorly remunerated, and poorly motivated. In order to under-
stand that tackling corruption within the Nigeria Police Force
requires at least in part a bottom-up approach by tackling
attitudes within the lower ranks, it is important to acquire an
understanding of the profile of the Nigeria Police.
332 The Police Journal, Volume 82 (2009)
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