Now step up the war on terror groups

NAIROBI: Though at a slower pace, police reforms are gradually taking shape. The police are better remunerated, live in better quarters and have better equipment.

In the twin fight against radicalisation and terror groups, especially the Somalia-based Al Shabaab; the police have been wrong-footed more than once. This has been attributed largely to the lack of modern fighting gear able to match or exceed what the terrorists use.

Obviously, sending policemen with the older version of the G3 rifle after terrorists with the latest version of AK-47 rifles made the fight unequal. More than 100 police officers have been killed in the combined war against terror and cattle rustling, particularly in the Northern and North Eastern parts of the country.

The commissioning of the 30 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC's) that President Uhuru Kenyatta flagged off on Monday this week shifts the balance in favour of our security services.

In Lamu County, for example, the police have suffered great losses because Al Shabaab militants use Improvised Explosive Devices or landmines to foil police pursuits. Two weeks ago, five policemen lost their lives in such circumstances.

The APCs offer better protection against light weapons. Citizens expect the police will go after the militias with greater zeal and sense of purpose; knowing their safety is in their hands.

Yet the police must go further. Prevention is always better than cure. Assembling a robust intelligence-gathering and analysing system is one sure way of prevention. It offers the security officers the advantage of disrupting the terrorists' plans and methods beforehand.

Good intelligence works well with better, modern equipment and a motivated workforce.