Police culture of isolation, solidarity and cynicism: an African criminological perspective on early career police officers.

Abstract

Police culture plays a crucial role in shaping law enforcement practices and the overall functioning of police organisations. In Africa, the study of police culture holds particular importance due to the unique historical, social, and political contexts that influence policing in the region. Academic research on police organisational culture has been one of the most robust and productive areas in the study of policing, uncovering many of the day-to-day realities, lived experiences and cultural meanings of police work. Since the 1960s, when policing studies first gained traction in the academic community, the concept of police occupational culture, sometimes known as cop culture, has generated attention and discussion. These studies have revealed that police occupational culture can negatively influence service delivery and organisational reform. The current research aims to examine whether early career police officers with zero-ten years working experience evinced police culture attitudes of solidarity, isolation and cynicism. The early career police officers this study focused on were those employed by Kenya Police Services (KPS), Malawi Police Services (MPS) and South African Police Services (SAPS). This study applied the predisposition model and the occupational socialization theory to better conceptualize where police officers’ attitudes, values and behaviour originate. This study adopted a quantitative descriptive research approach to appropriately address the research questions and utilized the 30-item police culture questionnaire, the findings of the current study revealed that solidarity, isolation and cynicism are standard coping strategies among Kenya, Malawi and South African early career police officers. Findings from this research are expected to shed light on the distinct features of police culture on these three African countries. The analysis will identify cultural factors that contribute to positive policing outcomes, such as community engagement, professionalism, and ethical conduct. Additionally, it will address issues related to corruption, abuse of power, and inadequate accountability mechanisms that hinder effective policing.