Prevention of Corruption, Information Leaking and Conflict of Interest in the Post-employment of Police Officers

• In Event: EUROC 5 Corruption and the Police

Abstract

After leaving police units, police officers who worked on certain types of jobs with the access to sensitive or classified data, may have the opportunity to use those data for the post-employment in private sector that conduct business with police (revolving door concept). The question is whether former officers maybe use privileged information for an illegal personal gain. There could be various forms of direct and indirect gains that could fall within corruption or other type of irregularity such as leaking of information on criminal investigations, exploiting former subordinate colleagues for lobbying activities, making advantage in supplying some services needed by police units, etc.
The paper contains analysis of preventive measures which serve to combat irregularities such as corruption, information leaking and conflict of interest that may occur among former police officers (not top officials only). A survey of the employment of former police officers in Croatia was conducted with the aim to determine frequency and risk on the new workplace. In the research, the author used quantitative methods for collecting data and finding out fluctuations in the workplace, as well as structured interviews. The analysis also included cases and preventive measures from comparative police systems. The results show that currently there is no big flow of employees from police force to the private sector in Croatia, but possible problems in the future could be prevented by monitoring such departures and adjusting the legal system if necessary. Preventive measures could range from exit interviews, “cooling-off” period, declaration of conflict of interest and other.

Author

• Zeljko Karas, College Professor, Police University College, Croatia