Kenyans have long been calling for greater inclusion of local communities in security strategies and improved cooperation between police and communities.
This has been made a reality following the co-operation of the people and the police officers at Githiga police station in Githunguri sub-county of Kiambu County.
Speaking to KNA at the Police Station yesterday, the officer commanding the station (OCS) Paul Mulwa shed light on the day to day running of the Station saying it has really been busy amid the COVID-19 period when most people remained indoors.
He singled family wrangles in regards to land ownership as one of the issues bedeviling the area community. There are a few cases of assault and stealing, house breaking.
He however noted that there were no robberies in the area as after the day’s activities, all the people retreated back to their homes in line with curfew regulations imposed by the government to contain infection of the coronavirus
He mentioned that Githiga was a cosmopolitan area that is focusing on agriculture and recently there have been a few cases of some Ugandans who live within the area having disagreements with their employers but they were working with the chief’s office to collect data on the number of foreign employees so as to be able to track down any with criminal record
He further noted that Githiga has no Court and they have to transfer suspects in their custody to Githunguri Law Courts for trial. They also cover a very wide area from Matuguta to Kiambaa which is a problem sometimes due to shortage of ample personnel.
Speaking to Mr. Andrew Chepkorom who was the officer in charge when the station was inaugurated, he highlights that the residents have been very co-operative when working with the police. Having been at the station since October 2019, he commended community policing saying it had helped the security apparatus in maintaining peace and order.
“it has helped us recover stolen items during investigation of cases and it has enabled the rule of law to be prevail” he said
“Though we are understaffed with only 15 officers, the safety of our residents is our utmost priority. We have put up street lights at Githiga Primary School to avoid accidents, the area was a black spot and due to the Nationwide Curfew, no motorcycles past 9 PM and they are all labelled to curb thuggery” he said.
Currently, community policing is practiced under the Nyumba Kumi security initiative. The initiative has anchored community policing at the household level with the aim of achieving safe and sustainable neighborhoods because police alone cannot solve the problems of crime, he noted
The National Police Service ought to strengthen operations of people involved in the process so that they continue to serve the citizens accordingly and allow a society which has non or minimal crime that cannot disrupt development.
By Lydia Shiloya and Velma Mukhwana
