Exploring the Roles of Police Leaders in Countries in Transition

Abstract

Countries in transition face a risk due to dramatic changes in political, social, and economic circumstances. The changes usually result in high levels of crime and violence, especially during a regime change. This article explores the roles of police leaders in countries in transition in mitigating the risk of perceived crime. The study used data captured from 12 police leaders from different parts of the world attending an international police executive symposium held at United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime at Vienna, Austria. The participants agreed to the use of qualitative semi-structured telephone interview, recorded and translated for the study. The author used member-checking to improve the reliability of the study. The study was reinforced using archival materials for triangulation. The outcome of the study disclosed that during transitions of countries police leaders play the roles of maintaining law and order, ensuring peace and justice, intelligence gathering, accountability, and effective communication using emerging technologies.