Dangers of corruption within the State security sector

Solly Rakgomo | Monday April 17, 2023 06:00

Corruption, which Transparency International defines as the “abuse of entrusted power for private gain” includes an element of subversion or illegitimate use of resources meant for a particular purpose to further another goal. It involves a benefit that should not have been obtained, as well as harm to someone who was entitled to a benefit they did not receive.

When applied to the public sector, it entails expectations and norms being flouted due to misuse of a public (often state) system for a private (individual or group) benefit, rather than public good.

If repeated regularly, it leads to the degradation of a system meant to benefit the public into one that benefits certain groups to the detriment of others. Corrupt practices include bribery, most readily identified as a form of corruption, nepotism and favouritism in hiring and promotions, embezzlement of (state) funds, extortion and sextortion and others.

It is within the state security sector where acts of corruption do more harm to human populations in affected countries than other acts of criminality. State security sector in this case includes but not limited to the police, the army, the intelligence agencies, customs and immigration agencies, the revenue and anti-corruption bodies. State security sector is important as it comprises all institutions and other entities with a role in ensuring the security of the state and its people. In simple terms, their primary role is the provision of national security and provision of national security to citizens includes combating acts of criminality such as corruption. However, it is very common in many African states to find members of the state security sector involved in acts of corruption in multiple ways. This has seriously created a trust deficit between citizens and some state security institutions. For example, the Afrobarometer survey of 2020 shows that 47% of Africans interviewed stated that among key public institutions, the police are the most corrupt through acts of extortion and receiving of bribes from poor citizens. Besides Afrobarometer survey, there are many studies that have shown that state security sector corruption is rife in Africa especially in those countries with very weak institutions and led by authoritarian leaders.

Foster Kaude, in his study on State Security Sector Governance in Africa, states that it is very common in some African countries for members of the army and intelligence agencies to connive with some criminal syndicates as well as insurgents in the illegal smuggling of weapons. In this case, these agencies manipulate the poor weapons stockpile management within their institutions to perpetrate such acts of criminality. This in addition leads to some state security agencies tasked with the role of border security management who connive with criminal syndicates to smuggle drugs and counterfeit products which are a danger to public safety.

Corruption in the security sector has a detrimental impact both on the security apparatus itself and on wider peace and security, by fuelling tensions and adding to conflict and instability. Quantitative studies have underscored how corruption and state instability are correlated, with states dominated by narrow patronage-based systems more susceptible to instability. It is little surprise that six out of the 10 lowest-scoring countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2019 are also among the 10 least peaceful countries in the Global Peace Index of 2020.

This is a clear testimony that corruption, especially in the state security sector, undermines the efficiency of state security forces, damages populations’ conception of the legitimacy of central authorities and feeds a sense of disillusionment, which threatens the social contract, and ultimately the rule of law.

In some situations, the acts of corruption can also facilitate the expansion of non-state and extremist groups and has become one of the lynchpins of recruitment narratives, which position these groups as a legitimate alternative to corrupt governments and elites. Corrupt and malfunctioning state security agencies lower society’s esteem for state institutions.

Operational effectiveness of the security agencies in deployments is in most cases highly compromised. This is because corrupt procedures concerning placements and merit attributions greatly affect security agency morale. This kind of corruption where state agencies are involved in corruption may also provide opportunities for terrorists and organised criminal syndicates to acquire information, know-how, dangerous materials, weapon technologies and systems.

Corruption-based links of security and defence organisations to organised crime pose immediate threats to the security of the country and its citizens and thus compromising broader national security objectives.

In summation, one can safely state that state security sector corruption affects all levels of security and defence personnel and can take the form of theft, extortion, bribery, and influence networks. Factors such as lack of transparency (secrecy culture), operational urgency, lack of oversight mechanisms and absence of adequate rules and regulations can create an atmosphere prone to corrupt deviation of financial and other resources. In this context, whistle-blowers can play a crucial role in signalling infractions. Oversight committees, ombuds institutions and inspectors are essential in combating this kind of corruption. Their presence alone exercises a preventive effect. Parliament, the ministries of defence and other ministries, civil society, media and academia can all play an important role in fighting state sector corruption. Additionally, international organisations and other states can provide guidance, best practices and international standards.