• The Eastleigh policeman wants court to drop charges against him of alleged murder
• The Kenya police are regularly criticised for cases of extrajudicial killing of suspected criminals
Eastleigh policeman Rashid Ahmed Hassan wants the court to drop his case for murder.
Allegedly Rashid shot dead Jamal Mohammed and Mohammed Dhair Kheri on March 31, 2017, at Amal Plaza.
Rashid says that he and other police were called to intercept armed robbers, were shot at, the two dead men were carrying weapons, and the night before had committed a robbery.
He claimed the Independent Policing Oversight Authority was biased against him because it had not heard his side of the story.
Unfortunately the extrajudicial killing of alleged criminals is popular with many members of the public but this is a misguided sentiment. Many innocent young men end up being shot by the police.
Rashid has been the subject of many complaints in Pangani. There are even videos of him allegedly executing criminals in front of a crowd.
A key argument of rogue policemen is that criminals will escape justice in court and therefore it is better to eliminate them on the spot.
But why then does Rashid fear his day in court? If the courts are so soft, why does he not proceed with the case and clear his name? Or would he accept to be eliminated beforehand?
Quote of the day: "Everyone has a price, the important thing is to find out what it is."
Pablo Escobar
The Colombian drug lord was born on December 1, 1949