THE EROSION OF TRUST IN THE POLICE: CORRUPTION AS A CHALLENGE TO POLICE INTEGRITY AND LEGITIMACY

Abstract

Public trust constitutes an essential component of democratic policing and an important foundation of police legitimacy. Corruption in policing challenges the legality, impartiality, professionalism and integrity of the institution and may weaken citizens’ confidence in the proper exercise of police authority. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between police corruption, police integrity and public trust, and to consider the broader implications of these relationships for police legitimacy. The methodological framework combines a secondary analysis of previously collected empirical data with the analysis and synthesis of contemporary peer-reviewed research and the comparative interpretation of relevant institutional reports and statistical indicators. The empirical basis derives from research conducted in 2023 among 260 citizens from thirteen cities in the Republic of North Macedonia using a written questionnaire containing open-ended questions on corruption in policing, professional conduct and trust in the police. The findings are interpreted alongside independent evidence concerning corruption, accountability, institutional independence and police integrity. The analysis identifies a markedly low level of trust among the surveyed citizens: only 15 per cent expressed trust in the police, while more than 52 per cent reported direct experience of corrupt conduct by police officers. Petty corruption emerged as the most visible form of corrupt behaviour in everyday police–citizen encounters, particularly in traffic, border and administrative contexts. The findings further indicate that corrupt conduct by individual officers may extend beyond the assessment of the officers concerned and adversely affect the perceived professionalism, credibility and institutional integrity of the police as a whole. Comparable tendencies identified in recent scientific research and institutional assessments reinforce the relevance of integrity, independence and accountability to public trust. Although the research design does not permit the establishment of a direct causal relationship between corruption and police legitimacy, the findings indicate that weakened institutional integrity and persistently low trust may constitute a substantial risk to the legitimacy of police authority. Strengthening internal and external oversight, accountability, merit-based personnel policies, integrity mechanisms, transparency and effective protection for whistle-blowers is therefore essential to sustaining public trust and reinforcing police legitimacy.