The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) now claims that the lack of cooperation from the National Police Service (NPS) is becoming a major hindrance in executing hits mandate.
IPOA chief executive officer Elma Halake said the NPS does not provide the information required to aid in the investigations of the cases in which police officers have been accused of misconduct.
Speaking during a Police Accountability, Safety and Security for Journalists forum in Nanyuki, Halake said this has been delaying their investigation process and thus it takes longer to have the rogue officers prosecuted.
He said investigating police regarding the public order management is very challenging as there is a wide scope to cover and especially on cases of criminal nature. He however said they have so far managed to successfully prosecute a number of cases and 35 officers have been convicted.
“We have over 300 active and pending cases that involve police officers but due to the nature of the charges they might take longer to conclude,” said Halake.
The CEO also said the Authority investigating the claims of brutality in the recent protests in the country adding that this will be the test for them.
He added that IPOA is committed to ensuring accountability by the police service in their duty.
“We will live to the expectations of members of the public to ensure all police officers are held accountable for their actions, especially when they violate the rights of [citizens],” he added.
He however said lack of witnesses makes it difficult to have a solid case against the accused officers
“I am appealing to the members of the public to support us by giving us information that will help us in our investigation,” he remarked.
Oh his part, National Police Service Commission boss Peter Lelei however said the success of the criminal justice system does not solely rely on the police service, as there are other players involved. Lelei said trading accusations on how is not doing their part will not help and the blame game should end.
