Even before the disturbing photo of a naked suspect tied to a chair caused public outrage, the Mauritian police force was not the most popular kid in town. In fact, one in five Mauritians either think that most police officers are corrupt… or that all of them are! The Transparency International (TI) report that drew that conclusion after a global study paints a gloomy picture of not just Mauritius, but the entire African continent. Anyone who ventures further south than Gibraltar to look for people who trust the police, in other words, is in for a lonely ride.

The police is not just perceived as a corrupt institution – it is perceived as the most corrupt institution of them all in Africa, according to the TI report. The mistrust in the police is so deeply ingrained in Africans that some 50% don’t even bother calling them if a crime happens. And the fear of being asked to pay a bribe is not even the main reason. Instead, a large number of Africans simply think that the police underperform. We don’t believe, in other words, that the people paid for with public money to protect our lives and property can do their job. It’s a spine-chilling status quo. Not just because it leaves us vulnerable, but because it turns too many of us into modern-day Robin Hoods, minus the altruism. 

The fictitious Robin Hood was a criminal. He was a heroic criminal, but a criminal nonetheless who cut corners to carry out his social work (if you can call stealing from the rich cutting corners). We’re a corner-cutting country too. People cut corners when they open businesses, when they make private deals with police officers to dodge speeding tickets, and when they get jobs they’ve got the wrong qualifications for but the right last names. Like Robin Hood, we don’t consider any of those actions particularly bad or wrong. If you fail to see the connection between a police force perceived as untrustworthy and the collective corner-cutting mentality, consider this: When citizens don’t trust institutions, they are less likely to comply with that institution’s demands and regulations, studies show. We start running our own race. We make up our own rules. While that can be an effective strategy for the lucky few to build up their personal fortunes, it’s not a way to build a nation. 

Mauritius cannot afford to have a police force that so frequently gets accused of human rights violations, corruption, and even allegedly accepting political interference. It doesn’t matter how many ease of doing business titles or hospitality awards we win – if the perception that the police is rubbish remains, then the same word will be used about the country. 

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