Policing in Cambodia: Legitimacy in the Making?

Abstract

Analyses of police statistics, newspaper reports, and United Nations international crime victim surveys (UNICVS) are used to describe trends in crime, and changes in perceptions of security, corruption and confidence in police in post-conflict Cambodia. These data show that both violent crimes (including homicides and police or vigilante killings) and property crimes have declined. Modest reductions in fear of crime are observed but confidence in police has not improved, although ‘street-level’ corruption is less frequent. Corruption, elite crime and consumer fraud remain serious problems consistent with Cambodia’s ‘fragile state’ status. The emergence of juvenile and drug related crime reflects demographic changes and the impact of modernization (and urbanization) on cultural practices. The role of modernization and democratic transition in shaping the form, response to and extent of crime is discussed, as well as the effect of international aid focused on criminal justice assistance.

Keywords: Cambodia, corruption, crime, crime victim survey, modernisation, state formation