The senior leadership of the National Police Service (NPS) has called on the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to reconsider how it conducts the arrests of police officers, citing concerns over the humiliating nature of these operations.
Speaking during a consultative meeting with the leadership of the EACC in Nairobi on Monday, Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli raised questions about how the agency conducts its operations targeting officers suspected of corruption.
According to Masengeli, the anti-graft commission needs to consider the societal implications of humiliating the suspected officers, arguing that the dramatic arrests likely impact their families.
Further, he challenged the agency to reconsider its publication of the arrests it makes of officers from the security agencies.
”We appreciate the support and partnership we do with the EACC but the question is, is there any proper and professional way that we can employ to deal with the arrests?” Masengeli questioned.
”These officers have families, is there any proper way we can handle them? Should we bring it to the media?” he added.
Masengeli’s comments came against the backdrop of a recent incident where EACC officers apprehended three police officers over allegations of asking for bribes from motorists near the Globe roundabout in Nairobi.
Images and videos seen by Kenyans.co.ke captured EACC detectives, dressed in plain clothes, arriving at the scene, prompting the two traffic officers to flee.
However, their attempt to outrun the detectives proved futile, as they were swiftly cornered. One officer was pinned to the ground near a crowd barrier and immediately handcuffed.
The events resulted in drama, with members of the public gathering at the scene to witness the arrests as they congratulated the EACC officers.
In January last year, drama ensued at a liquor store along Lumumba Drive near TRM Mall in Kasarani after a team of officers from the anti-graft body arrested a police officer accused of soliciting bribes from traders.
During the widely circulated incident, the police officer could be heard screaming ‘Kill me! Kill me!’ and lamenting that not only were his rights violated but he was also assaulted in the scuffle.
In yet another recent arrest, an officer, who is a Deputy Officer Commanding Station at Mavindini Police Station in Makueni County, was dramatically apprehended for allegedly attempting to coerce a motorist into paying a bribe.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE