Exercise Ethical and lawful policing A. The police services of Exland have been dominated, since colonial times, by Vallians. The Minister of the Interior, all senior commanders and the vast majority of police officers are Vallians, and few Highlandians have ever served in the police agencies of the country. Tho few who have served have been either marginalized within the organization and assigned to the least desirable duties or subjected to continuous harassment by colleagues, so that few have remained in the police service for very long. Highlandians, by and large, view the police as the principal instrument of repression against them and see any Highlandians serving with the police as traitors. They cite the disproportionately high number of Highlandians in Exland’s jails and several incidents of police brutality against Highlandians as evidence of police bias against Highlandians. The Vallian-dominated Exland police insist that this situation is not their fault, since they cannot force Highlandians to join the police ranks, and that, in any event, “it just happens that Highlandians commit more crimes than Vallians”. Highlandian representatives claim that many young people in their communities, which have high unemployment rates, would very much like to find jobs as police officers if the situation were more fair and secure. ◗ What does the United Nations Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials say about such matters? ◗ Should more Highlandians be recruited into the police services? Why or why not? ◗ How would a more balanced composition of the police make law enforcement more effective? ◗ Draft a one-line mission statement for police in Exland. Begin with “The mission of the Exland Police is to...”. B. You have received a complaint from a local Exland farmer charging that an officer from a local police unit, while allegedly driving drunk, caused severe damage to the fence surrounding his field. You will advise the police that the appropriate action would be: (a) To refer the farmer to the courts but take no further action. (b) To commence an investigation, and, if warranted, take firm disciplinary action against the violating officer and assist the farmer in seeking compensation. (c) Advise the officer of the dangers of drinking and driving, but take no further action, so long as it is the first offence. (d) Explain to the farmer that he should not complain. While some police officers might misbehave, it is better to have a broken fence than to have no law and order. ◗ Give the reasons for your answer. C. Owing to the devastation of the local economy, prostitution in the cities of Exland has increased dramatically in recent years as women are driven to desperate measures to feed themselves and their families. Some police officers have been seen visiting local prostitutes. The appropriate action in this situation would be: (a) Ignore it, so long as it does not occur while the officers are on duty. (b) Speak with the officers privately and ask that they be more discreet. (c) Take rigorous official action against the officers concerned. (d) Issue a stern warning to the prostitutes (but take no action against the officers). ◗ Give the reasons for your answer. 35