Reforms in police force to include merger with APs

The regular and Administration Police should be merged to work independently of Government officials. This is one of the far-reaching reforms on policing proposed by the report.

Others include a new Code of Conduct for the police, setting up an independent police oversight group, a new complaints commission, a review of the ethnic balance within the force and an immediate complete audit of police management, structures, policies, practices and procedures.

The aim of merging the regular and Administration police into one force is to free the police from interference from the Government, as was the case during the General Election.

More than 1,000 Administration Police officers (APs) were trained and sent to act as agents of the Party of National Unity in Nyanza, instead of remaining neutral, says the report.

The new combined force should be headed by a professional police officer, says the Waki Commission, which looked into the violence that erupted following the disputed presidential election results.

“Given the revelations around the unlawful use of APs around the elections, the fact that the current structure is inextricably linked to the Provincial Administration system, and many of the senior officers are not police professionals, integrating the APs into the Kenya Police Service is a priority activity,” the report says.

Although Waki admits there would be difficulties in completing the merger, the “benefits will greatly outweigh the obstacles”.

Integration, says the report, will provide total independence from the Provincial Administration and separation from government oversight.

It will also provide a unified command and control of police officers, besides ensuring an across-the-board consistency and uniformity in all facets of policing.

The report proposes setting up a single and unified Police Services Board, one police commissioner, one strategic plan and a single integrated and well understood service delivery.

Under the proposals, all responsibilities currently undertaken by the Administration Police will be moved to the Commissioner of Police.

This will mean the Provincial Administration will not have any policing role.

The aim is to have a combined police organ to function in an “unencumbered fashion exercising constabulary independence in performing its functions.”

It will also ensure that all police services adopt an operational role, independent of Executive influence.

The experts propose other immediate reforms should include a complete audit of police management, structures, policies, practices and procedures.