Police gratuity

Police gratuities
Introduction
A police gratuity is something of minor value, gift or a token of thanks given in return for the enforcement of a criminal law. It is common in many police bodies although it is against the police ethics (Ross 133).
Support for Gratuities
Gratuities help in cementing the relationship between the police officers and the public. The police officers who accept gratuities are more informed than police officers who are very strict on law enforcement. Gratuities therefore, bridge the gap between the police officers and the general public. It offers an avenue where the general public interacts with the police personnel with minimal professional boundaries. On the other hand, it is quite unethical for someone to refuse a gift or an appreciation for favors. Therefore, it serves as a means of expression of human characteristics by the police officer to the public (Pollock 181).
A gift is known for converging the receiver and the respondent together in a mutual social reciprocation relationship. Gratuities also play a significant role in creating a mutual relationship between the general public and police officers (Pollock 181). In the broader perspective, gratuities can be viewed as a method which necessitates community policing concept. Police officers therefore, use gratuities to develop good relationship with the public. The developed police public relationship serves as a platform for transferring of criminal information from the public to the police officers. Additionally, gratuities are used by criminal investigation department in their investigations (Pollock 181).
Gratuities reduce the cost of administration of justice. The legal procedure to get justice is sometimes very expensive in terms of resources and time. Additionally, people who are prone to gratuities are frequent users of the police services. The known frequent users of gratuities are businessmen to hide their bad reputation and traits from the general public (Pollock 181).
Argument against Gratuities
On the other hand, gratuities may tamper with police officers ability to administer fair and just services to the public. Police officers are likely to grant preferential treatment to those who are prone to gratuities. In such situation, justice would be administers unfairly (Ross 133). Gratuities overrate the position of police officer. Police officers who accept gratuities view themselves as very special officers who must be rewarded for their services to the public (Ross 133). Police officers are professionals in their own capacity. They are paid salaries to offer protection and other services to the public. Therefore, acceptance of gratuities is unethical and violation of their professional ethics (Ross 133). A gratuity is a form of corruption where police officers accept gifts in compensation for a service. On the other hand, a gratuity is an abuse of power for self gain which is unlawful. Police officers are ethically prohibited from using their position for their own personal gain. Furthermore, gratuities portray the entire police department as corrupt (Ross 133).
Gratuities are very unethical in the police service and therefore, it should not be accepted. Nevertheless, gratuities are a common scenario in the police department. The law against gratuities is always ignored by police officers and the general public. This is because gratuities advantages to both the public and the police department in many cases outweigh its disadvantages.
Work cited
Ross, Jeffrey. Policing issues: Challenges and controversies. London: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. 2010. Print.
Pollock, Joycelyn. Ethical dilemmas and decision in criminal justice. Wadsworth: Cengage Learning 2011. Print.