Police Brutality: A Scourge Across Africa and Beyond - Essay Sample

Police brutality has become a recurring issue in the 21st century despite the formation of many social movements and human rights (Holmes, 2017). Researchers have argued that police brutality in many African countries is older than the countries, and it has escalated in every regime; this is slightly different from the US case where the curve of police brutality is flattening every year. For the last 20years, the Kenyan government has been accused of not executing police accountability mechanisms suggested by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA). This has been replaced by malicious and unsuccessful bid trials that free the offenders living the offended in a questionable situation (Ometo, 2020). Similarly, in Nigeria, cases of civilians being tortured, raped, extorted, and shot to death by police has increased progressively; this has then been accompanied by a bend of anti-torture law to favor the police (Akinlabi, 2017). In many African countries, the police commanders are held responsible for authorizing unnecessary use of live bullets while in America; officers on the ground are held responsible for their acts; this situation makes it hard to unify the police accountability mechanisms.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Many cases of police brutality have been related to racism in the United States; however, that is a political case in Africa countries (Jean, 2020). The United States houses many races, and this has favored the existence of racial segregation in opportunities, services, and facilities, erupting negative perceptions among the residents. The death of the 46 years old George Floyd, through white police brutality, erupted a lot of protests and chaos that led to the destruction of properties in Minneapolis (Jean, 2020). The video footage triggered a world concern on the level of police brutality in the United States, especially for the Black Americans who have been considered the victims of racism for years.

Additionally, after displaying more video footage of police brutality, it was evident that a great number of victims were the Black Americans confirming the existence of racial segregation (Jean, 2020). In Africa countries, cases of racism are not considered a cause of police brutality, rather political parties and social class fuels the excess use of power where the less powerful suffer the most. According to Mlambo and Dlamini (2019), South Sudan and Libya recorded high cases of police brutality during the last election period; this led to the killing, rape, and injuries of thousands of citizens. Lastly, both Africa and the United States have presented evitable cases of police brutality; however, the causes and approach mechanisms are different.

References

Akinlabi, O. M. (2017). Do the Police Protect and Serve the Public? Police Deviance and Public Cynicism towards the law in Nigeria. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 17(2), 158-174.

Holmes, M. D. (2017). Police brutality: The Cambridge handbook of social problems.

Jean, T. (2020). Black Lives Matter: Police Brutality in the Era of COVID-19.

Mlambo, V. H., & Dlamini, M. (2019). Conflict and violence in Africa in the 21st century: Where is the African Union? A case of Libya, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic. Journal of Public Affairs, 19(4), e1939.

Ometo, B. (2020). Improving Police Accountability in Kenya: Curing the Shortcomings of the IPOA in Bringing an End to Police Brutality in the Country. Available at SSRN 3568251.