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Police integrity is about applying basic values to the decision making process working in a way that expresses the Codes of Ethics, Law Enforcement Codes and legal requirements that are basic and underpinning foundation of the policing culture in the environment that the policing takes place. Integrity is about Police Officers accepting and living within and upholding these ethical standards that underpin their function as Police Officers. Integrity can come at a personal cost. It has been well document that those who stands up for standards and integrity are not always well received and are often marginalised by colleques and organisation alike. This challenge to integrity is often the cause of a lack of ‘Misconduct Reporting’. The organisation integrity is the key to individual integrity, Ethical Leadership the bedrock of integrity support. In many regards we can see attempts to support individual displays of Integrity and change the perception within the policing culture with regards to people who display such standards the concept of ‘Whistleblower’ has been introduced into the vocabulary and this itself has been superseded by ‘Professional Standards Reporting’ in order to remove the unethical practice of vilifying people with Integrity by marginalising them with concepts such as ‘Grass’ and ‘Snitch’. Integrity can come at a personal cost. Integrity is not just about the individual it is about the ‘Ethical Codes’, ‘Law Enforcement Ethics’, ‘Ethics Training’ together with Social and Organisational standards regarding ‘Police Corruption’, Police Misconduct and Police Discipline that form to provide the support and value sets for an individual to apply their understanding and personal integrity to their decision making process. Integrity is not about making the right or wrong decision it’s about basing the decision on genuine belief taking into account the values of the Society, Community and Organisation in which the decision is made. The paradox is that a conflict within these value sets can lead to what is termed ‘Noble Cause Corruption’ and indeed corruption or misconduct.
An understanding of Integrity is an essential requirement of Police Officers but a seldom taught one.
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