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 one 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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