The Government cannot continue burying its head in the sand by denying that there is something amiss within the National Police Service.
This is borne out by the fact that incidences of insecurity appear to have increased of late to alarming levels.
Are the police getting sufficient backing from the National Intelligence Service as required by Article 242 (2) of the Constitution of Kenya?
What has happened to the intelligence gathering ability of the police to forestall criminal acts and buttress the work of uniformed officers and plainclothes detectives?
It is not wrong to use the military to protect civilians, but investigations are the exclusive preserve of the police, and when they fail, it spells disaster. While it is true that more policemen and women are needed, it is not the magic bullet that will end the malaise afflicting the force.
It is obvious that the morale of the force is at its lowest level since Independence. Could this be one of the factors behind the upsurge in violent robberies and murders in some parts of the country?
causing disaffection
It is extremely disturbing that soon after senior police officials at the highest level visit a hotspot, as happened recently, thugs kill more people with shocking impunity.
At the moment, sections of the force charged with dealing with serious crimes are stretched because some integral units are not performing to the optimum and so they have to step in to fill the gap.
Article 244 of the Constitution says the police must strive for the highest standards of professionalism and discipline among its members, prevent corruption, be transparent, respect human rights and receive the highest level of training.
The command of the National Police Service and the National Police Service Commission must begin addressing issues that are causing disaffection within the force to stem the slide in morale.
They must put aside any differences and improve the conditions under which the police are forced to operate.
The current conditions are what give rise to vigilantism and emergence of gangs extorting money from people in exchange for security.
