Inspector General of Police
Joseph Boinnet has explained that results by opinion polls that ranks police as
the most corrupt officers in the country are wrong saying they are based on
public perception and not reality.
“The findings by the Kavuludi
commission realized that 96 per cent of us (police) in the service are
hardworking, dedicated, strong willed in spite of the hardship we encounter in
course of duty. A mere 4 per cent only rotten, soiling. What Kenyans fail to
understand is that pollsters capture perceptions and not actual findings,” said
Boinnet when he met police officers in Kakamega Friday for a police
transformation exercise dubbed ‘People Centered Police’ (PCP).
“The 2010 constitution is people
centered in fact it has a full chapter on people’s rights and we have no
obligation but align to it for better service of the citizenry. Our first
customer is the public. It’s extremely important to learn to work and develop
close working environment with the people of this nation.”
The police boss asked his
officers to change tact in their line of duty in order to combat crime saying
the world is now modernized and tackle emerging crime,
“There is terrorism, cybercrime,
human trafficking and many others which technically compel us to change. Let’s
learn to communicate with our customers and if we work in accordance with law,
we will never go wrong,” he told the officers.
He at the same time asked police
officers from different departments to work together as a team warning those
not ready to work as a team to resign.
“We are operating under new
dispensation where all police departments (regular and administration) were
merged into one. Unlike in the past, we are now a bigger family. We must work
together in accordance to the law. We are police officers not Kenya Police,
Administration police, Kenya Prisons or CID. We are one,” declared Boinnet.
He added,” We must cooperate with
all other security agencies because our sole responsibility is to secure our
country. Though we have distinct roles, our main goal is one maintain law and
order. Kenya police, Kenya army or Intelligence service we are united in one
common goal.”
Ends…
