Individual Corruption

The security forces reportedly impede domestic travel and transporters must often pay bribes to pass through police checkpoints and roadblocks. Impunity in the security forces is a problem and they are known to be violent and to abuse detainees and prisoners, as reported in the US Department of State 2010. Detainees report that they at times were forced under police threats to pay bribes or 'cell fees' in order to avoid torture. The US Department of State 2010 further notes that according to the Report by The Ministry of Justice on Human Rights in Cameroon, 599 officers and 18 gendarmes were sanctioned in 2009 for acts of corruption, falsification of official documents, abuse of authority and extortion. There have also been reports from several observers, including IRIN and Global Integrity 2008, that the traffic police routinely extract bribes ('road tax' of between USD 1 and USD 2) at checkpoints.

Business Corruption

According to Transparency International National Integrity Study - Cameroon 2007, bribery and the demand of facilitation payments to deliver services are frequently practiced by the Cameroonian police. The road control police often ask drivers for a 'road tax' to exempt them from control of documents. Moreover, cronyism, nepotism, favouritism and tribalism are very common in the delivery of police services.

Political Corruption

Politicians serving time in prison on corruption charges often receive better treatment than normal inmates, according to the US Department of State 2010. It is also reported that wardens often accept bribes from inmates in exchange for a better treatment. The US Department of State reports that influential people bribe the police to arrest or harass individuals involved in personal disputes. Global Integrity 2008 reports that punishment of corrupt police officers has been lenient compared to the wave of long term imprisonment of politicians and high-ranking government officials started in 2006.

Frequency

World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011:
- Business executives give the reliability of the police services to enforce law and order a score of 3.5 on a 7-point scale (1 being 'cannot be relied upon at all' and 7 'can always be relied upon').

Transparency International: Global Corruption Barometer 2010:
- Citizens give the police a score of 4.5 on a 5-point scale (1 being 'not at all corrupt' and 5 'extremely corrupt'). This makes the police the most corrupt institution in the country.

- 63.9% of the respondents who had contact with the police in 2009 report to have paid a bribe.

Transparency International: Enquêtes nationales sur la corruption au Cameroun - enquête quantitative auprés des ménages - 2007 (in French):
- 81% of household respondents claim that the police sector is rife with corruption.

Transparency International: Enquête nationale auprés des entreprises sur la corruption au Cameroun - 2007 (in French):
- 7% of the companies surveyed said that the police was the most corrupt sector.