Purging the tarnished Police Service must not be half-hearted or cosmetic

The Police Service is one of the public institutions with the greatest potential to define and shape public culture. Whether Kenyan property developers build open communities or high-walled and privately guarded homes is an indicator of public confidence in the force or lack of it.

But when men and women of the cloth start demanding to be armed to provide their own security, then there is a problem of biblical proportions in the offing.

Because the crown on the caps of the officers is the most visible symbol of authority, the police can shape public perception toward, not just the government, but the country as well.

If the police are seen as ineffective, say in fighting crime, this can be reflected in diminished confidence in the government.

And if they are seen as corrupt, the public perception of the government in its entirety is that it is riddled with corruption. Such a perception is inevitable.

The police are the immediate face of government. As such, reforming the Police Service and cleaning up its image is not only good for the officers themselves, but also for the well-being of the nation.

It determines everything from the architecture of the nation to how people relate with their neighbours. But above all, it can instill confidence even in other public institutions, including the Judiciary, which has a direct contact with the police.

Over the years, the reputation of the police has been on a lamentable decline.

When, earlier this year, the service released a report saying that there was not even one reported case of officers soliciting bribes, everyone who has had a brush with the law would have been forgiven for laughing their heads off.

Of course, there is no one who will walk into a police station to report a bribery case involving a police officer.

It would require foolhardiness or extraordinary courage precisely because the public confidence in the ability of police to do anything about such a complaint does not exist.

In countries like Germany, and probably the US, the police are a highly visible institution, inspiring high levels of confidence. Even a heated exchange in a couple’s bedroom or a bar brawl would be sufficient to elicit their attention.

A story is told of Prof Henry Louis Gates Jnr, a well-known African-American scholar, who was spotted by a neighbour trying to force his own door open. The neighbour called the police and within minutes, a white officer had pinned down the scholar.

The matter sparked outrage, with the police being accused of arresting an old man who was only trying to get into his own house because he is black.

In the end, President Barack Obama had to invite the two protagonists for a beer at the White House in the hope that the matter would have a happy ending.

What is the probability that such a scenario would be replayed in Kenya? That question is probably too idealistic to be asked, so let’s rephrase. What is the probability that the police would respond to such a call?

Chances are that the officer who picks up such a call would first say that the only available patrol vehicle has no fuel or that no officer was available. And chances are that the next time a neighbour witnessed a burglary, he would not make such a call, because it is easy to predict how the conversation would end.

As such, the question of whether Kenyans feel safe and secure or whether they can rely on prompt response from the police in time of distress can influence the society we end up building.

Thus, the task of cleaning up the force should be speedy and comprehensive, and should not be a cosmetic change that leads to gestures only meant to assuage public anxiety.

The other day, a traffic policeman arrested an acquaintance, got into his car and asked him to drive to the nearest police station. But rather than book him, he opened negotiations on how the offender could win back his freedom.

At the end of their little chat in the station’s parking lot, the man parted with Sh5,000 and was ready to get on his way. . . until the policeman asked to be driven back where their journey had started. My friend recommended that the officer takes a taxi. After all, he had just made easy money.

Such incidents are not just indictments of the officers involved, they reflect the reality of life in Kenya. Is that the society we aspire to build?

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