Killing of journalist yet another blot on police

From bribery, extortion, and brutality to extrajudicial killings, the police service has always topped the charts. [iStockphoto]

In what the Police Service claims to be a case of mistaken identity, investigative Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif was killed by police on Sunday in Kajiado County. The fatal shooting came barely days after a presidential directive to disband the Special Service Unit (SSU), a police unit presumed to be responsible for extrajudicial killings.

The circumstances of the shooting raise more questions than answers. Did Pakistan and his driver forcefully drive over the spiked barrier at the roadblock? Aren't police supposed to simply immobilise a vehicle by shooting the tyres where a motorist disobeys orders to stop? Why did the police shoot without correctly reading the number plate of the vehicle? How could the officer(s) mistake a Toyota Prado for the Mercedes Benz said to have been stolen?

Investigating teams should come up with answers to these questions, among others, to clear suspicion of foul play. Meanwhile, action must be taken against the officer(s) who shot dead Sharif. The journalist's killing adds another blemish to the heavily soiled police fabric. From bribery, extortion, and brutality to extrajudicial killings, the police service has always topped the charts. This is a reputation the top echelon of the Police Service and the National government should deliberately work to correct. Certainly, there is something wrong with our policing model.

Evidently, there is an obnoxious culture in the Police Service that must be stopped by ejecting all rogue elements. Many of them have tasted blood and will always bay for more. The need to retrain officers on modern policing techniques cannot be overemphasised. In a rapidly changing world, which our police has adamantly refused to keep pace with, brute force and intimidation do not work anymore.

The police cannot combat crime without the active input of the larger public, which is why the service must deliberately work to inspire public trust. As it stands today, few citizens would volunteer sensitive information to the police without becoming the first suspect in any crime, even when they have nothing to do with it.