scholarly journals The Perceived Importance of Cybercrime Control among Police Officers: Implications for Combatting Industrial Espionage

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4351
Author(s):  
Seung-Yeop Paek ◽  
Mahesh K. Nalla ◽  
Yong-Tae Chun ◽  
Julak Lee

The current research explored the predictors of how police officers perceived the importance of combatting cybercrime. This is an era in which industrial security is threatened by perpetrators who use advanced techniques to steal information online. Understanding how law enforcement officers view the control of cybercrimes, especially those that steal confidential business information, can inform industrial espionage prevention and help maintain a nation’s industrial competitiveness in the world market. We surveyed a convenience sample of South Korean police officers attending training at the Police Human Resources Development Institute (PHRDI) using a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. The results indicated that the officers’ perceptions of colleagues’ and organizational views on cybercrime control significantly impacted their attitudes. Additionally, officers’ perceptions of the seriousness of online theft (in this paper, we use the terms online theft and property cybercrime interchangeably) and their computer proficiency were also found to affect their views on the importance of combatting cybercrimes. We conclude by suggesting that the police take a proactive organizational approach to prevent and respond to online property crimes through education and public awareness programs, which could positively impact the prevention of industrial espionage.

Author(s):  
Sanja Kutnjak Ivković ◽  
Wook Kang

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the contours of police integrity among Korean police officers a decade after police reform was started.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected in 2009 at the Korean National Police University (KNPU) and the Police Comprehensive Academy (PCA). The questionnaires distributed to police officers contained 14 vignettes describing various forms of police misconduct. The sample consists of 329 police officers, mostly non‐supervisors, attending courses at the KNPU and PCA.FindingsResults indicate that the contours of police integrity vary across different forms of misconduct. Regardless of whether the respondents' views were measured through questions about misconduct seriousness, appropriate discipline, willingness to report, or knowledge about official rules, the findings suggest that Korean police officers perceived corruption as a serious form of police misconduct, while they considered the use of excessive force to be substantially less serious. In addition, a strong code of silence among the police was detected.Research limitations/implicationsThe study examines the contours of police integrity among a convenience sample of police officers from South Korea.Practical implicationsThe Korean police administrators interested in controlling police misconduct could utilize this methodology to explore the contours of the code of silence among the Korean police. The results of the study indicate that substantial focus should be put on changing police officer views about the use of excessive force and narrowing the code of silence in general.Social implicationsThe results show that the contours of police integrity among South Korean police officers clearly reflect the attitudes and views of the society at large toward corruption and use of excessive force. The lenient attitudes that South Korean police officers have expressed regarding the use of excessive force reflect both the historical attitudes and the lack of clarity of official rules. The strong code of silence is related to the insufficient protection for whistleblowers and the adherence to Confucianism among Korean citizens.Originality/valuePrior research predominantly measured police integrity as the opposite of police corruption in Western democracies and East European countries in transition. This research expands this by focusing on different forms of police misconduct. In addition, it explores integrity in an Asian democracy with the police agency undergoing extensive reform.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myung-Gwan Kim ◽  
Seungwoo Han

Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to identify factors that influence PTG in South Korean police officers, according to age group.Methods: Raw data were collected from September 26 to October 9, 2017 for 269 police officers who are employed at 10 police offices in Seoul. Multiple regression analysis was conducted on selected data by age group. Results: Post-traumatic growth (PTG) was affected significantly by age, marital status, monthly income, and police rank in pain perception and social support variables among general characteristics. Factors that affected PTG in the ‘20~29’ age group were resilience (B = 0.570) and pain perception (B = 0.243), but in the ‘30~39’ age group, only Pain perception (B = 0.249) was significant, and in the ‘over 50’ age group, social support (B = 0.448) and pain perception (B = 0.252) were significant.Conclusion: Development of mental health programs should consider the age group of the patients. Mental health care should also be continuous.


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