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{
    "id": 501535,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/501535/?format=api",
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    "content": "under the chiefs. Ideally, the chief was the commander of that unit. The chief then had an enforcement arm to enforce whatever security concerns the government wanted. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, with the new Constitution now, the two arms of the police have been merged and are no longer under the chief, County Commissioner or Sub-County Commissioner. As we are all aware, the recruitment of Administration Police (AP) and their deployment is no longer a local arrangement but a national one. They are also posted anywhere within the country. The frequency in which they are posted makes them handicapped in terms of knowledge of the environment in which they are working. Therefore, when they are posted to do an operation, they have no knowledge of that area. They are not even able to gather enough intelligence to effectively discharge their duties. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this brings us to the need for police reservists to be recruited in place of the APs. In Trans Nzoia, which borders West Pokot, we have police reservists. I assure you that these are the young men who have kept the peace that we are now enjoying. These are volunteers who have worked without any remuneration, whatsoever, from the Government. It is just right that anybody who provides a service is prepared and facilitated to effectively provide that service especially when it is a matter of security of the country, the people and their property. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, some of these good young people have very little training on how to handle operations including firearms. It is time that proper curriculum for training is developed so that they are trained on various issues that concern security, in particular; discipline, human rights issues, use of fire arms and last but not least, patriotism. They should also be trained on how to be mindful of the neighbouring community so that they know they are just as Kenyan as they are and that they need their protection and assistance. In such training, they should not be isolated; they should be trained like any other disciplined forces in a centralised location, be it Embakasi Administration Police Training College or the Police Training College in Kiganjo. They should be taken there and mixed so that they get to appreciate and learn to co-exist and work together with other Kenyans. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, they also need to be facilitated in terms of communication. We are surprised that sometimes when operations are being carried out by County Commissioners and commanders in the field, officers do not to give information as to their whereabouts and what is happening on the ground because of lack of communication. What happened to communication? When we did not have Safaricom and other mobile service providers, police used to communicate through radio calls and so forth. It is very important for communication to be enhanced not only for the police reservists but for the entire force. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, transport and means of communication should also be looked into. I believe if our policemen were properly trained and equipped with armoured vehicles, perhaps there would be no need to call the army from the barracks to come and intervene. It is high time we recognized that bandits and terrorists are also very well trained and use very sophisticated weapons. Therefore, our police force should be equipped and kitted to be able to handle all situations including those ones. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}