Brace for armed guards as police exit cash-in-transit, scale down on VIP protection

CEO Private Sector Regulatory Authority Fazul Mohammed with Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet during the launch of police reforms at the Kenya School of Government. [Standard]

 

The police reforms unveiled two weeks ago are opening up private security firms to unprecedented windfall as police begin to pull out of non-core duties that have hitherto sucked their numbers, the Sunday Standard has established.

Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet confirmed that the police will now strategically pull out of Very Important Person (VIP) protection services and fade away from “Cash-in-Transit” operations among others.

He said the move will open up the two sectors to private security firms, under guidance of Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA) to innovate on new security solutions, including possibility of arming them.

The authority falls under the Ministry of Interior and is based in Harambee House, 7th Floor. Former NGO Coordination board boss Fazul Mohamed is the new CEO/Director and is said to have taken the task to coordinate take-up of the services with gusto.

“It’s now up to the authority to guide that process (of arming guards). Initially we had proposed that they be armed but Parliament rejected this. I am aware that there is an attempt to reintroduce this taking into account the need to release police to their core duties,” Mr Boinnet said.

Mahamed attended the launch of the reforms at the Kenya School Government and was spotted chatting with IG Boinnet. Efforts to reach out to him yesterday proved futile as his phone went unanswered, with OP sources confirming he was engrossed in the task at hand.

Earlier this year, the National Security Advisory Committee approved a proposal to amend the Private Security Regulatory Act to allow restricted use of arms by private security divisions handing critical services that will be dropped by Administration Police.

In May this year, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i was quoted saying that “the government will issue gun licenses to vetted companies who will in turn arm their personnel to conduct their businesses.”

Yesterday, Boinnet said the move to pull away police from the core duties is unstoppable and urged private security companies to brace up for the tasks. He said besides waiting for guns, private security companies invest in technologies that will dispel theft of cash.

On VIP protection, Boinnet said thus far, he had scaled down the number of police officers involved in VIP protection from over 10,000 to 4,000. And he is not done yet.

 “I am sure you are widely travelled and you do not see the kind of scenes you see here out there. Our projection is that this will not only trigger growth in private security sector but also call for more investment and innovation,” the IG said.

He said the structures for the transition are almost concluded and that engagement with private security players was in top gear.

“We are ready to disengage as soon as they are ready,” he added.

He said police reforms are deeper than commentators have been able to fathom. He said from December, all officers will receive their house allowances and will have three months to get themselves accommodation outside police lines.

Within those three months, the service will terminate all leases they have with regard to officers accommodation. Police lines will however be available to officers but purely on rental basis.

“I have seen people making a butt of a joke with our new uniform. People tend to trivialise things but we are not ready to be pulled in that direction. This is not an election or a popularity contest!” he said.

He also said the populace and media have not appreciated importance of centralised command structure and quashing of parallel structures. He said granting of financial autonomy to the police has also been lost to commentators.