Individual Corruption

According to the US Department of State 2010, the lower levels of the police force and gendarmerie are particularly corrupt. The report also notes that investigations of corrupt practices and the abuse of the police are carried out by the gendarmie, but results of these investigations are not always made public. The police and the gendarmerie are singled out by many observers, including REN-LAC 2006 (in French), as one of the most corrupt institutions in Burkina Faso. Similarly, the US Department of State 2011 reports that civil servants who most commonly engage in corrupt practices are the law enforcement officials. 

Business Corruption

While companies in the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 generally identify organised crime and the business costs of crime and violence in Burkina Faso as competitive advantages in the country, but the reliability of police services and protection is rated much lower.

Political Corruption

In December 2004, the government issued a decree on the conduct of the national police force, setting the standards for behaviour and disciplinary sanctions for breaches of trust, as outlined in Transparency International Global Corruption Report 2006. The decree aimed at increasing citizens' knowledge of police officers duties and informing them about the right to file complaints about illegal acts committed by the police, including corruption. Nevertheless, corruption within the police force is widespread and impunity is a serious problem. According to the US Department of State 2010, a 2007 report by the National Network to Fight against Corruption (REN-LAC) (see 'Private Anti-Corruption Initiatives' in the Initiatives section) identified the police and gendarmerie as among the most corrupt institutions in Burkina Faso. 

Frequency

World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012:
- Business leaders give the police in Burkina Faso a score of 3.6 on a 7-point scale (1 being 'cannot be relied upon to enforce law and order' and 7 'can be relied upon to enforce law and order').

The World Bank & IFC: Enterprise Surveys 2009:
- 70.3% of companies surveyed pay for security in Burkina Faso.

- 42.2% of the companies surveyed identify crime, theft and disorder as major constraints to doing business.

Afrobarometer: Summary of Results Burkina Faso 2008:
- 37%, 17% and 13% of the respondents in this household survey considered some, most or all of the police officers to be corrupt, respectively.

- 2% of the respondents in this household survey report to have often paid a bribe to government officials in order to avoid a problem with the police in 2007.

REN-LAC: Rapport 2006 (in French):
- Citizens identify the police and gendarmerie together as the most corrupt institution in the country.