ICPO-Interpol - General Assembly
70th Session - Budapest - 24th-28th September 2001 |
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| Resolution No AG-2001-RES-04 |
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Global Standards to Combat Corruption in Police Forces/Services
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The ICPO-Interpol General Assembly, meeting in Budapest from 24th to 28th September
2001 at its 70th session:
RECALLING Resolution AGN/68/RES/4
(Seoul, 1999) and Resolution AGN/69/RES/5
(Rhodes, 2000),
NOTING that corruption undermines the effectiveness of law enforcement, the
efficiency and legitimacy of police forces/services in the performance of their
functions and public confidence in law enforcement and justice,
BEING CONVINCED that corruption within police forces/services can be prevented
and eradicated by determined and forceful national action by all Members and
by international co-operation,
BEARING IN MIND the unequivocal committment of Member States to support the
efforts of the IGEC to develop a global standard to combat corruption within
law enforcement agencies,
HAVING EXAMINED Report AG-2001-RAP-14 , entitled 'Global Standards to Combat Corruption
in Police Forces/Services',
COMMENDS the excellent work of the International Group of Experts on Corruption
in producing the Global Standards to Combat Corruption in Police Forces/Services;
RECOMMENDS that Member States review the Global Standards set forth in the
Appendix during the course of the next eight months, either at regional conferences
or at other similar fora, and provide their views concerning the Global Standards
to the General Secretariat by 30 June 2002;
DIRECTS the General Secretariat to prepare a final report on the Global Standards,
to be submitted to the 71st General Assembly;
REQUESTS the Executive Committee to include the final report and a draft resolution
adopting the Global Standards in its provisional agenda for the 71st General
Assembly.
Adopted.
Global standards to combat corruption in police forces/services
Objectives
- To ensure that the police forces/services of each Member State of Interpol
have high standards of honesty, integrity and ethical behaviour in and in
connection with the performance of their policing functions.
- To promote and strengthen the development by each Member State of Interpol
of measures needed to prevent, detect, punish and eradicate corruption in
the police forces/services within its national boundaries and to bring to
justice police officers and other employees of police forces/services who
are corrupt.
Definitions
Corruption includes:
- The solicitation or acceptance, whether directly or indirectly, by a police
officer or other employee of a police force/service of any money, article
of value, gift, favour, promise, reward or advantage, whether for himself/herself
or for any person, group or entity, in return for any act or omission already
done or omitted or to be done or omitted in the future in or in connection
with the performance of any function of or connected with policing.
- The offering or granting, whether directly or indirectly, to a police officer
or other employee of a police force/service of any money, article of value,
gift, favour, promise, reward or advantage for the police officer or other
employee or for any person, group or entity in return for any act or omission
already done or omitted or to be done or omitted in the future in or in connection
with the performance of any function of or connected with policing.
- Any act or omission in the discharge of duties by a police officer or other
employee of a police force/service which may improperly expose any person
to a charge or conviction for a criminal offence or may improperly assist
in a person not being charged with or being acquitted of a criminal offence.
- The unauthorized dissemination of confidential or restricted police information
whether for reward or otherwise.
- Any act or omission in the discharge of duties by a police officer or other
employee of a police force/service for the purpose of obtaining any money,
article of value, gift, favour, promise, reward or advantage for himself/herself
or any other person, group or entity.
- Any act or omission which constitutes corruption under a law of the Member
State.
- Participation as a principal, co-principal, initiator, instigator, accomplice,
accessory before the fact, accessory after the fact or in any other manner
in the commission or attempted commission or in any conspiracy to do or omit
to do any act referred to in the preceding provisions of this Article.
Police force/service means each police force/service or other official
body with a responsibility to perform policing functions within the national
boundaries of the Member State.
Principles
- To make corruption within police forces/services a high-risk crime.
- To promote and maintain a high standard of honesty, integrity and ethical
behaviour within the police forces/services of each Member.
- To foster the recruitment and training as police officers of persons of
high levels of integrity, honesty, ethical standards and expertise.
Measures
Each Member of the Organization commits to:
- making corruption by a police officer or other employee of a police force/service
a serious criminal offence;
- having legislation enacted to allow the proceeds of corruption and related
crimes to be forfeited;
- establishing and maintaining high standards of conduct for the honest,
ethical and effective performance of policing functions;
- Such standards should be mandatory and be directed towards an understanding
and application of honest, ethical and appropriate behaviour, the avoidance
of conflicts of interest, the proper use of public resources in and in
connection with the fair and impartial application of the law, the performance
of policing functions, the reporting of acts of corruption in and in connection
with the performance of policing functions, and the establishment and
strengthening of public confidence in police officers and police forces/services
as part of the system of justice;
- Such standards should accept that it is an obligation of the police
force/service to seek out and effectively deal with corruption within
the police force/service;
- Such standards should impose an obligation on police officers and other
employees of a police force/service to report to the appropriate person
or authority acts or omissions which constitute or may constitute corruption
within the police force/service;
- setting up and maintaining effective mechanisms to oversee and enforce
the high standards of conduct required in and in connection with the performance
of policing functions;
- bringing into being or causing to be brought into being such legislative,
administrative and other measures as may be necessary to prevent, detect,
punish and eradicate corruption in the police forces/services;
- conferring or causing to be conferred on a designated authority, whether
internal or external, such powers to carry out investigations and bring to
justice without fear, favour, affection or ill-will those who engage in corruption
and dishonesty in the course of or in association with the carrying out of
policing functions, and adequately resourcing and funding such authority;
- providing for a system for the recruitment of officers for such designated
authority who are of high integrity and which ensures that such officers are
not disadvantaged by recruitment to any such designated authority;
- providing adequate safeguards to prevent abuse of powers by those engaged
in the anti-corruption system and to minimize unnecessary infringements of
individual rights;
- having a system for instructing police officers and others engaged in and
in connection with the performance of policing functions of the standards
and ethical rules applicable to the performance of such functions;
- establishing and enforcing procedures for the declaration and registration
of the income, assets and liabilities of those who perform policing functions
and of appropriate members of their families;
- establishing a mechanism such as an oversight body or bodies to monitor
the systems and measures established for preventing, detecting, punishing
and eradicating corruption within the police forces/services and the adequacy,
application and effectiveness of such systems and measures;
- requiring public reporting at least once each year of the work and findings
in relation to the monitoring of the systems and measures referred to in Article
4(k) and their adequacy, application and effectiveness;
- putting in place deterrents to the bribery of those performing policing
functions;
- establishing mechanisms to encourage participation by civil society in
activities and efforts to prevent corruption in the police forces/services;
- having and maintaining effective systems for the recruitment of police
officers of high levels of integrity, honesty, ethical standards and expertise;
- ensuring that the systems for recruitment, posting, promotion and termination
of police officers and other employees of the police forces/services are not
arbitrary but are based on fairness, openness, ability and performance;
- having and maintaining a system for the training, including on-going training,
of police officers and other employees in the police forces/services which
reinforces the high standards of conduct referred to in Article(c);
- taking all practicable steps to ensure that the rates of remuneration for
police officers and other employees of the police forces/services are such
as to enable them and their families to maintain a reasonable standard of
living without having to resort to other employment or to corruption;
- having and maintaining systems for the procurement of goods and services
that are based on openness, efficiency, equity and certainty of the rules
to be applied and that seek the best value for money;
- having and maintaining systems of revenue collection, money and property
handling and for the control and preservation of evidence that ensure that
those collecting or handling public money, dealing with evidence or handling
property are accountable and that the systems are such as to deter corruption;
- having an effective system that obliges police officers and other employees
of the police forces/services to report corruption, that enables them and
members of civil society to report corruption, and that protects those who
report corruption in good faith;
- continuing research in relation to current best practice for the prevention,
detection, punishment and eradication of corruption in and in connection with
the performance of policing functions;
- reviewing at appropriate and regular intervals the measures and systems
for the prevention, detection, punishment and eradication of corruption in
and in connection with the performance of policing functions;
- using their best endeavours to ensure that the mechanisms and systems for
the prevention, detection, punishment and eradication of corruption in and
in connection with the performance of policing functions in its police forces/services
are kept abreast of current practice as recognized by the General Assembly
of Interpol;
- reporting at least once each two years, or at such shorter intervals as
the General Assembly may resolve, on the measures taken and the mechanisms
and systems in place to implement the standards set out in this protocol and
the effectiveness of such mechanisms, systems and measures;
- permitting the monitoring by and co-operating with such person or persons
as may be appointed by the Secretary General for the purpose of monitoring
the mechanisms, systems and measures in place in relation to its police forces/services
to achieve the objectives and meet the standards referred to in this protocol
and the effectiveness of such mechanisms, systems and measures.
Review
The operation of this protocol shall be reviewed by the General Secretariat
of Interpol on an ongoing basis and is to be the subject of a report to each
session of the General Assembly that is held after the expiration of two years
from the adoption of this protocol.
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