Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1243572,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1243572/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 249,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Tobiko",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I rise to support the Motion by Sen. Kibwana. I also congratulate my sister for coming up with this timely Motion. I doubt that any Member of this House can oppose this Motion because we all know the environment that our police officers live and work in. We also know the situations that confront them on a daily basis We have seen at work. I can almost equate them with doctors. The patients that are taken to doctors may be same patients or worse because the police are expected to be the first people at an accident scene; where lives have been lost and or bodies are in pieces and they have to collect those pieces, carry them for post-mortem services and get the injured to hospitals. The police are supposed to be there in situations of crime, whether domestic or in ugly incidences. Based on that, on a daily basis, our police face psychologically traumatizing situation. That is why this Motion is timely. The mental health of the police officers, their living conditions and their working environment needs to be addressed. We may not save them from the job because someone must do that job, but we can help make it bearable. We can help by ensuring that the Government provides counsellors at every police station. There should be a resident counsellor who talks to the police officers. They should ask them how their day was in order to understand their situation. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, even in their personal lives, there are living conditions of their families and what they are going through. If we were to have a resident counsellor at every police station, a lot of consequences or these psychological traumas we see from the police officers like suicides, murders and shootouts can be reduced to manageable or minimal levels. We have been to countries where the police officers are well taken care of. In South Africa, for example, I have even seen their police officers going to 5-star hotels to take their meals. I think their government caters for that. I was awed. If this was to happen in Kenya where they have meal vouchers and can go to the best of hotels in this country, eat and walk out, ride in comfortable vehicles, have their families live in good"
}