New police housing policy won't stop crime – MPs

Police reforms requiring officers to live with civilians and not in police camps is will endanger residents, some Western leaders have said.

They fear police, some of them notorious for bad behaviour, will harass residents and crime will increase instead of decrease.

A new policy requires police to live outside police compounds and gives them a house allowance. The idea is that they will get to know neighbourhoods and be more effective in protecting people, property and preventing crime.

But MPs Bernard Shinali (Ikolomani), Alfred Agoi (Sabatia) and Omboko Milemba (Emuhaya) said on Saturday that the new policy was not well thought and will undermine the war against crime.

“We want the policy revised so all police officers stay at a central place from where they can swiftly respond to emergencies,” Shinali said.

Agoi said the government needs to improve police housing in police compounds, not remove officers from camps.

The leaders spoke at Kilingili Market, a week after five guards were hacked to the death in the area. another died of his injuries at Vihiga County Referral Hospital in Mbale.

Police have arrested 17 suspects, including two students, in connection with the murders. They were detained and later arraigned in a Kakamega court in connection to the murders.  Kilingili Market is at the border of the three constituencies.

All officers stationed at Kilingili police station when the murders occurred have been transferred to other stations in Vihiga. The MPs said the officers should have been moved further away and their leaders punished for laxity.

"It is not in good faith for these officers to be here, when we all know they are incompetent,” Agoi said.

Milemba said the MPs would help families bury their dead and will provide bursaries for their schoolchildren.

New Kilingili OCS Samuel Marianda urged residents to help police to identify criminal suspects.