Police officers have been making news over the past few days with indiscipline cases, painting a bad image of the entire service.
Some officers have been caught on CCTV cameras engaging in robbery with violence against civilians they are supposed to protect.
On Saturday night, November 11, in Markiti estate, Nairobi, John Waweru Njuguna, a constable police officer is alleged to have shot and killed Bennedict Maingi, a 37-year old business man, after Maingi declined to give the officer Sh400 that the officer demanded as reported by Citizen TV.
The suspect went into hiding but was later arrested by the Nairobi Central police officers and he awaits to be arraigned in court.
A few days earlier another police officer had to be rescued by his colleagues from angry citizens after he allegedly attempted to rob an Mpesa shop a sum of shillings Sh54,000 in Ruiru, Kiambu county.
Last month another police officer was found in possession of items stolen in a crime scene. The items included an iPhone and a laptop that was valued at Sh70,000. The detective in question stole the items after he was called to process a scene, where a man was found dead in his host's residence.
"Mr Lawrence Akinola, a Nigerian male adult who had accommodated the deceased in his house, namely, Cheche Omong'ula reported that his iPhone and laptop all valued at Sh70,000 were all missing during the processing of the crime scene by the said officer. This prompted the said investigating officer to make a follow-up," the police report said.
Such incidents are likely to lower public trust in the police force. My question is: why should a well trained police officer choose to commit such offences? The Independent Policing Oversight Authority who are tasked with providing civilian oversight of the work of the police should address this menace before it gets out of hand.
The author is a Communication and Journalism student at Rongo University
