Kenya police are often accused of corruption

In Nigeria, police officers from the mobile unit are referred to as 'Kill and go' because of their trigger happy tendencies.

The traffic police in Kenya are often accused of extorting bribes from motorists, a habit that earned them the nickname, TKK - Toa Kitu Kidogo - a Swahili derisory phrase meaning "give something small".

In Ghana, there is no love lost between the public and their police force. The men in uniform are often chided as 'Koti' because of their tendency to harass the public.

VOTE RESULTS If you were in trouble, would you call the police? Yes  38.67%  No  61.33%  1518 Votes Cast Results are indicative and may not reflect public opinion

However, in Botswana the police are reported to be efficient and friendly.

The BBC's Africa Live programme asks: Is this show of public distrust and scorn against the police justified?

How do we ensure that the police in Africa are there to effectively serve us?

Have you had a good or bad experience with your local police officers?

Join the BBC's Africa Live programme Wednesday, 10 September at 1630 and 1830 GMT.

Use the form to send us your comments, some of which will be published below.

If you would like to take part in the discussion, e-mail us with your telephone number.

Human nature does not want to be guided by principles of law but needs to float in unconditional freedom. What we forget is that everything comes with a price. If the state becomes lawless, we would complain. I am not in support of the brutal nature of the police force anywhere in the world. But where there is respect for the law, brutalities and abuses are minimal. We do not need to compare the pay rate of a Boston Cop to that of a Police Officer in say Accra. Life and economics is always relative, but your commensuration for work done is not a prerequisite for taking bribes. The African Police will be enemies to the people so long as they keep their unprofessional attire and boots on.
Kwame Boakye, Ghana

I would certainly call the South African police in an emergency. I have had both positive and negative experiences with them. Anywhere else in sub Saharan Africa, except Namibia or Botswana, forget it! I feel more threatened by the officials and police than the criminals.
Sean, SA/Belgium

My experience as a Gambian is that you need three things to get by; good connections, money, or you should be of European or Lebanese extraction.
Mbah, UK

Africa's police is as good as its government.
Tony A, Ghana

You make it sound like police problems are only African. I have have had the opportunity to travel in the USA, Latin America (Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil, etc) and also Europe. One thing I must say is that the police force is a mirror of the society it serves. The majority seem to operate out of the bounds of law!
Wanjala Wachana, Seattle/USA

My father was a police officer in Nigeria for many years. It was disturbing for him to watch while his friends misused their powers. Corruption was one thing, but the brutal way they treated suspects was what really upset him. He feels that a regime such as that of General Idiagbun's War Against Indiscipline is needed once more. He discouraged me from signing up.
Sunday Adeyemi Adepegba, Nigeria/UK

It would be wrong to write-off the Nigeria police as kill-and-go. With the level of banditry and constant attacks, the Operation fire-for-fire was launched to save the lives of our policemen. A few bad elements may have misused this rare privilege, but definitely democracy is changing the face of the Police for good,
Ojukwu Gregory, Nigeria

The institution of policing like many other institutions is alien to Africa. We need to give it more support if they are to serve us to our satisfaction. I think in Sierra Leone we have been moving in this direction.
Henry Mbawa Jr, Freetown, Sierra Leone

I think that the police in Sierra Leone are now worse. When their uniforms changed their attitute also changed. The only thing they have done better is Operation Free Flow. Even at that they have taken some bribes from traders to let they stay.
Juliette Macarthy, Sierra Leone

In Zambia, while driving, I have been subjected to police check-points hardly 300 meters apart. With the government budget over-run it seems the police have turned into revenue collectors!
A disgusted African, Zambia

In Ghana at every possible interval the police stop cars do not bother to check faults, and wait for them to dash some money.
Benjamin Tsibu, Ghana

In the western world the Police are respected because they are within the range of the middle class. In Africa the take home pay of a police recruit would be about $35 monthly. How would you expect such a person to be honest, diligent and professional. We have to be grateful that they are even willing to do the job.
John Aboagye, Ghana

Ghanaians in the Volta region think of it this way - pay before, or pay after! You can either pay off the police and they won't pull you over, or you can wait until you're pulled over (violation or not) and pay then.
Sarah, USA

In the colonial times the police were viewed as brutes who collaborated with their masters and the problems persist today. The root causes lie not with the police themselves but with social outlooks on justice and accountability. Kenya's culture of corruption has always been sanctioned by top government officials, who have shamelessly led the way in the perpetration of Toa Kitu Kidogo - Give something small.
Ed Magana, USA

I am a Somali and I can testify that the most barbaric, corrupt and gangster-like police in Kenya can be found stationed on the border with Somalia.
Halima Mohamed, Somali/UK

People's attitudes towards the police should change from fear to respect. But also the policemen need better quality training especially in resolving tough situations psychologically rather than physically.
Fatima, Antigua

Becoming a policeman is not compulsory. The salaries are well known and so corruption or extortion can never be justified. Police personnel join the force with their "eyes open". It is the past and current government that have helped to create a "monster" that will take many years and considerable effort to reform.
Chris, Kenya

Surely Nigeria has the type of police it deserves.
Lanre John, Nigeria

On a recent trip from the Seme border towards Lagos at 9pm on a Saturday night I encountered no less than 30 police blocks and about 10 by Customs and Immigration. Few wore uniform and blankly refused to identify themselves, so it's difficult to tell. About 5 of the road blocks were so close together that you could see the next one along even in darkness. No one is allowed to leave without parting with so-called "dash". But, have a look at the police stations! In one I visited, out of 109 officers, 102 had no home provided and lived out of a sportsbag on a dirty mattress at the back of the station.
Jakob Bejer, Nigeria

If you die of the gun in Nigeria, the odds are 50/50 that it will be either the police or armed robbers.
Sylvester Nomji, Benue/Nigeria

In South Africa there is a joke which speaks volumes about public confidence. You know you are in SA when the police are the first at the scene of a major crime - and no one called them...
Andrew , U.K.

The police like any other civil servants in Africa are underpaid and therefore must engage in corruption to make ends meet. Why not pose the question to African governments - Friend or Enemy?
Donzo, Conakry, Guinea

One of my brothers drives a taxi. An ill-dressed and ill-mannered Liberian police officer stopped him for no apparent reason. After a long talk and after receiving a good sum of money the officer allowed him to go. This behavior is typical of Liberian police officers and it is widespread. All branches of government in Liberia need to be overhauled, then life would be better for everyone.
Eddie Lee, Liberia

It is no surprise that most residents of Nairobi think that the current wave of crime in the city has some police elements deeply involved.
Kieyah, Kenya

Instead of offering free education in Kenya we should revamp the police force. Free education will not promote economic growth if there is no security.
Stephen Gitau, Kenyan in MO, USA

The American police are no better than the ones you refer to here. L.A. cops just walk out with drugs from their lock-ups. They beat and harrass people of color, poor people, and children without any reprisal. I think California's 1-strike felony laws should be applied to the cops who victimize us.
Tage Martin, U.S.A.

I first went to Kenya as a child in 1972. I was also in Uganda and fled as a refugee in 1976. In those days the Kenya police were surely a force to be proud of. The bad examples were in Uganda as a result of poor governance. It is my intention to return to Uganda and assist in rebuilding the police and I would encourage other Africans studying abroad to do the same. But the way forward in any country also has to come from the top.
David Kamulegeya Sebugulu, UK

The government has failed when we have para-military lawless thugs like Mungiki in Kenya and Bakasi boys in Nigeria.
Victor Ruttoh, Kenyan/UK

In Zimbabwe the police represent the diabolic face of authority. I am a human rights lawyer representing an opposition member of parliament. I was abducted blindfolded and tortured in underground chambers for 3 days. I am now in South Africa.
Gabriel Shumba, Zimbabwe

On a youth program on Cameroon Radio & Television children between the ages of 9 and 11 were asked what their future career will be. One of them said he would like to be a police officer because then he could collect money from drivers on the highway in order to help his family.
Aka Peter, Cameroon

English words become inept to describe the atrocities I have witnessed by ruthless police officers In Kenya. It will take a generation to clean this ugly part of society.
Fekru Giorgis, USA

Rotten to the core - a true reflection of those who lead them.
UE, UK/Nigeria

If you think the police are enemies, the next time you're in trouble, call a thug!.
Njemibe O. Francis, Nigeria

In Kenya my crime was to be out of Nairobi after dark. It was 8pm. The policeman dipped into my pockets for something else, even after I had shown him my identity card! He at least had the "good manners" to give me back enough for my bus fare.
Kuria Githiora, Kenyan in Michigan/USA

In Ghana a policeman who was supposed to guard a hotel led a group of armed robbers to plunder the same hotel. In the process the hotel's accountant was killed. Now tell me, who is the enemy?
Ali Anankpieng, Ghana

In Zimbabwe where there has been dissent or attempts by police officers to try and perform their duties, they have been ruthlessly rooted out of the force. Now, under the guise of youth militia training, a child army is also being built. This cannot be condoned by Africa.
James, Zimbabwe

In our capital city of Dar es Salaam the town bus drivers commonly refer to policemen and women as "Mawe" meaning stones. This is because they ride for free as compared with a cargo of stones ferried to a building site.
Erasmus Makanzo, Tanzania

My name is Segun, I lived in Nigeria for 24 years before moving to the US in 2002. When I compare the US police force to their counterpart in Africa, the difference is largely due to incentives, salary package, sophisticated weapons and communication equipment. This is the clear opposite of what exists in Africa.
Segun Okunbanjo, USA

I grew up in Sierra Leone during the APC era when the police men in that country were some of the worst citizens I have ever come across. They were political appointees, they were tribal, brutish, corrupt and poorly educated. One of the most notorious branches was the Internal Security Unit (I.S.U) which we called 'I Shoot You'. Later they changed their name to Special Security Division (S.S.D). We were able to coin another name, Siaka Stevens Dogs. Some of those officials who were involved are still around.
Leslie Bona, UK

Traffic police in Tanzania are the ones who own 30% of the commuter buses. I was once hit by a commuter bus, but because the bus belonged to the traffic police no justice was done to punish the crazy driver!
Modest, Tanzania

In Cameroon police are referred to as "mange-milles" (thousand eaters) in reference to the customary bribe of 1000CFA.
Charlie, Australia

In Ethiopia the EPRDF government has brought in a mechanism by which the police will be critically evaluated by their respective community members. Hence whether somebody is doing well in the force is not simply a matter of profession but also integrity and acceptance by the community that he or she is living with.
Zerihun, Ethiopia

I being a serving police officer in Kenya I must say I find it extremely hard to work without a degree of corruption considering that the Police in Kenya are so poorly paid that they cannot even feed their children, let alone send them to good schools. Police officers in Kenya are dying almost on a daily basis. When this happens, nobody takes care of the officers' children any more. Officers serving in hostile areas like the Somalia/Ethiopia borders experience the hardest working conditions in the country without any extra pay.
Githinjaga, Kenya

What about the Ethiopian Police? In my opinion, I do not think Ethiopia needs a police force unless the government of Ethiopia wants to pay wages to the thieves via the police department payroll. They are just as bad or worse than the police we hear about in Kenya and some other African countries.
Yeguarodimet, Ethiopia

Being a former British Policeman, I can see the issues from a different angle. In any community, "the public get the police they deserve". Society, politics and education have a great deal to say how the police react to their customers. If in the particular society, there is "institutional corruption" it will be no surprise that there is corruption within the police at all levels. Africa has some differences in its view towards the police. In some countries they are feared and in others they are ineffective. In my extensive travels I have never feared the police as I know how to react in the correct manner. People should put themselves in the place of the policeman. If I was subjected to a torrent of abuse from a member of the public, I would react accordingly. Following the local rules and customs and showing respect will rarely get anyone in trouble. If you are stopped for speeding, and you were speeding, then you should expect some form of punishment. That is the same anywhere in the world.
Peter McKinley, South Africa

For very many years Africans citizens have been oppressed by their own law enforcers. This raises a question, "Are the law enforcers serving our interests or becoming more greedy and harassers of the public?" If the government is underpaying the police, is that our fault that we have to be punished for it? The police are supposed to maintain law and order not making living out of the public.
Jimmy Morchinkegem, Sudanese in US

Corruption is a by-product of globalization. If the economy is being squeezed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund with their fiscal policies and structural adjustment policies, then most of the Third World countries including those ones in Africa are left with nothing but debt servicing so that their earnings flow to the West (the wealthy Developed Countries). Therefore the poor countries are left with no other option but to depend on the local poor to enable them to support their miserable families. What then can a local police officer in Kenya do nothing but to milk the poor.
Dominic, a Sudanese living in Canada