Liberia's police force says it is cracking down on officers demanding and accepting bribes, following the release this month of Transparency International's 2013 Global Corruption Barometer report.
The Transparency International report found 77 percent of people surveyed in Liberia paid a bribe to police in the past year.
That has sparked outrage in Liberia, where motorists said policemen routinely demanded small bribes, or as they said in Monrovia, "a small thing before you go."
Liberia's police spokesman, Sam Collins, said any officer taking a bribe would be fired and could face criminal charges.
"Any attempt on the part of any officer to get involved in acts unbecoming of the police officer, that officer will be dealt with. There will be no turning back," he said.
Drivers of commercial vehicles said they were particularly targeted by police looking for bribes.
Driver Bull Davies said an officer can stop you for a violation, real or imagined, and demand payment of as much as $15 or 500 to 1,000 Liberian dollars.
"They will threaten to give you a ticket or will not give you a ticket. Then they will tell someone give me 1,000 or give me 500. They will receive that 500 and they will not give a receipt. They will not give you anything. They receive it and they leave. They gone," he said.
A commercial driver typically only earns about 1,000 Liberian dollars per day.
But ex-policeman Morris Tamba said officers were also sometimes just trying to make ends meet.
"If you are paid on time, [they] give you good salary on time, everything on time, the bribery will not be received as much as it is now. The corruption will be eliminated. Take an example. Last month, they are not getting paid. What do you expect somebody to do? The man search outside. No food to the house. He will go in the street. He will arrest somebody falsely," he said.
Liberia's police spokesman said officers are being paid on time. But VOA spoke to several policemen who said their monthly salaries are sometimes delayed by as much as a week.
Prince Collins contributed reporting from Monrovia, Liberia.
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Highly paid people are still corrupt in Liberia. Just take a look around and see all the ministers and their "underlings" who demand bribes. Don't look at the Liberian legislature because that's just plain ridicules.
Bribery and corruption are curtailed when they are meaningful negative consequences to receiving same or positive reinforcement for not do so. (Pavlov's dog)
What I can not get is how long will it take people to understand that those in public are the most corrupt one. what do we expect from the foreigners. How long will it take the people in public office to stop taking tax payer money for the Owen used, why can these people leave the pass? and help to build our country. If you came to Liberia to do business you will have to bribes to make your way. No Liberian will go to China or Lebanon and be able to set up a business but we open the door to ever one which is good but the tax that pay go into Mr John or David Pocket Minister need to grow up we are been taking for granted you was elected by the people so stop taking them for granted and do your Job.
We shouldn't blame Police receiving bribes because they have not been paid their salaries. The government is an institute where input and output are rotational.The police had been charged to protect and enforce government orders.In the later, that is if anyone caught violating government's law should be forwarded to the appropriate authority for persecution or be issued a receipt to pay fine in government's revenue.How will then government generate revenue if a police officer deemed it necessary to request for a bribe instead of issuing the violator a receipt? Let say if all ships entering the Free Port of Monrovia don't pay custom taxes how will the government function and pay their servants?