When police turn to crime, we have lost it

Security remains one of the biggest challenges facing Kenyans today and reports that an Administration Police officer has been arrested in connection with a series of robberies at the Coast are disconcerting on two levels.

First, this is a pointer that officers with access to government arms and ammunition are using them, not to protect the public, but to commit crime. This raises serious questions about the role of uniformed officers in perpetuating crime.

The report comes just days after police in Kisumu shot an AP officer on allegations that he had earlier been involved in a robbery.

If these reports turn out to be true, then the uniformed forces will be on the spot, not only for failing to fight crime, but also for aiding and abetting it.

POLICE THE POLICE

Secondly, these cases are a pointer that there is a greater urgency to set up an institution that will effectively police the police. So far, there has been no independent institution with powers to investigate and prosecute rogue officers, which means the Police Service is a law unto itself.

The public pays police officers to protect them from criminals but they have no recourse when the same officers use their government-issue weapons to commit crimes, including robberies and carjackings.

As such, an effective mechanism that inspires public confidence ought to be put in place to ensure that officers who turn to crime are weeded out from the service and put on surveillance after serving their jail terms to ensure they do not pose a public safety and security threat.

There is also a need to put in place a system through which every officer can account for the arms and ammunitions assigned to them. Such system should also be open to an independent audit from time to time.