Creating the Patrol Police
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least corrupt police forces (figure 2.3). In fact, of all 86 countries surveyed, only Finland scored better than Georgia. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that the kind of petty corruption for which Georgian traffic police were once notorious no longer exists.
Creation of a Service Culture A public service culture has been created in the patrol police, who are now considered friendly, courteous, and service oriented. They are trained to be helpful, and it shows. In the beginning, the change in attitude was novel. Motorists who had happened to stop alongside the road reported bracing themselves for the usual treatment when they saw a police officer approach the car and then being shocked when asked, “How can I help you?” The police are even deferential when writing traffic tickets. People wondered where these new police had come from, some joking that they must have come from another planet. Even drunk drivers are treated politely. When they are stopped, they are driven home rather than to the police station. Their car is impounded and they are charged, but they are treated with respect. Citizens have now grown to expect this new attitude.
Figure 2.3 Georgia: Forming One of the Least Corrupt Police Forces in Europe
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Source: Transparency International, 2010, Global Corruption Barometer, Table 2, pp. 42-43, Response to Question: “To what extent do you perceive the police to be affected by corruption?”