The challenge
Georgia’s police were seen as the country’s most corrupt institution, extorting bribes daily.
The case
After the 2003 Rose Revolution, Georgia’s new government abolished the entire traffic police in July 2004, leaving the country briefly without traffic officers. Only about 15% of former officers kept their jobs; new recruits were hired and trained, and police pay rose roughly nine to ten times, funded by better tax collection. The police force as a whole was cut sharply. Public views changed fast: in an International Republican Institute poll in 2009, 69% of respondents viewed police work favourably, making it the third most popular institution. Caucasus Barometer surveys found trust in police rising from 54% in 2008 to 67% in 2011. The reformed police were later also used against government opponents.
Why it worked
Replacing a corrupt force wholesale, while paying the new one enough to live on, broke the old bribe economy in a way gradual reform rarely does. Strong central control made it fast but also left the police open to political misuse.
Sources
- Osmanov, F. (2020). Police Reform in Georgia. Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.
- World Bank (2012). Fighting Corruption in Public Services: Chronicling Georgia’s Reforms.
- Centre for Public Impact (2016). Seizing the moment: rebuilding Georgia’s police.
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