Policing and the civilian head

Many have misunderstood the apprehension the National Police Service has over the appointment of a 'civilian' as the Inspector-General of Police. As one of the last institutions to be reformed, the Kenya Police has very little to recommend it. It was indicted by both the Waki Commission and the Kenya National Commission on Human rights for gross human rights violations at the height of the post-election violence. It continues to perform poorly in rankings of corrupt institutions, both nationally and regionally. It has been accused by serving officers, former officers, and academicians and activists for being hide-bound and resistant to change, using tactics and methods that were employed during the colonial era and the dark days of Nyayoism. That it must be reformed goes without saying. But the debate over whether the reforms will be conducted by a civilian outsider or a ranking officer is yet to be properly done.

The obvious advantages of having a civilian as the new Inspector-General cannot be gainsaid. He will not be a product of a corrupted and corrupting institution and he will breath fresh air into an institution that has rejected calls to modernise. He will have no loyalty to any politician or other authority and he will be able to dispassionately oversee the overhauling of policing that is so desperately needed, so that the police service is a partner in crime prevention and law enforcement. But a glaring disadvantage is ignored by those who wish to see a civilian as Inspector-General. Without the loyalty and support of the rank-and-file of the police service, his reforms will at best be rejected and at worst sabotaged.

Eric Kiraithe, the syntactically-challenged Police Spokesman, argues that policing is not just about crime-prevention, crime investigation or law enforcement. In addition to appreciating the environment within which the police operate, he must be able to make sufficiently sage judgments regarding how to allocate police resources. He must also be capable of leading by example, and understand the needs of the officers he will command. It is for this reason that a policeman with years of experience and who appreciates the circumstances that motivate the police would be justified as the Inspector-General. The corruption and criminality that is engaged in by the police force is a result of the environment in which it operates. Police officers are usually paid a pittance for their services and they live in squalor. Police 'lines' are some of the most dispiriting residential areas in the country and the fact that the likes of the KNHCR and other human rights organisations refuse to acknowledge this makes it almost certain that corruption and criminality will not eradicated even with a civilian I-G.

The reforms every one is talking about will not amount to much until we acknowledge that we have paid for the police force we have and if we want a first-class force, then we must be prepared to devote considerably more resources to its modernisation. Until that happens, only a person who knows the ins and outs of the police force and Kenya's peculiar brand of policing will make the best choice as the Inspector-General. A civilian only interested in eradicating corruption and criminality among the rank and file, and who sees things only from the perspective of an outsider is likely to be ineffective. This is the debate we should have.