Angola Country Profile

Police

Individual Corruption

According to the US State Department 2009, the police are poorly paid and some observers state that police officials are forced to rely on extorting bribes from the population to earn a living. It reports that in October 2009 the National Criminal Investigation Department (DNIC) held the finance division leader of Kwanza Sul provincial police force on charges of corruption, citing extraordinary charges and salary payments to deceased and retired police agents. When returning home after the civil war, displaced Angolans report that they meet harassment in the form of muggings, rapes and beatings by the local police and security forces which, due to a dysfunctional judicial system, are only rarely held accountable for their actions.

Business Corruption

Companies should note that the Angolan National Police are reported to be notoriously corrupt with extortion and petty corruption being common among police officers, according to the US Department of State 2009. Due process in cases of police harassment should not be expected as a consequence of the inefficient and corrupt judiciary.

Political Corruption

The Partnership Africa Canada reports that police corruption in the special reserve zones, i.e. major mining areas such as the Lunda provinces, is rampant. The police have turned the illegal miners into a profitable private business by institutionalising corruption in their daily interactions. This corruption has allegedly spread to the surrounding areas of the provinces, which means that the police operate unchecked in major towns and extract bribes from taxis, flight passengers, at road blocks etc. Higher ranking police officers are directly involved in this system as Patrocinadors - facilitators and protectors of the illegal trade with diamonds - and share the profits with illegal miners, Garimpeiros. Diamond smugglers are also known to benefit from the questionable integrity of police officials by bribing officials at check points and airports to overlook diamonds in their luggage.

According to the US State Department 2008 investigation of corrupt practices by police officials are conducted internally in the Force at an administrative level. Some investigation results in disciplinary sanctions like dismissal, but impunity is common. Moreover, the results of internal investigations are rarely disclosed.

Frequency

The World Bank & IFC: Enterprise Surveys 2006:

- 47.7 % of companies surveyed pay for security.

- 36.5 % of companies identify crime, theft and disorder as major constraints to doing business in the country.