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{
    "id": 736255,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/736255/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 77,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Dido",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2749,
        "legal_name": "Col (Rtd) Ali Rasso Dido",
        "slug": "col-rtd-ali-rasso-dido"
    },
    "content": "When I look at the police force and the military, I found that the difference between them is only in their roles as outlined in the Constitution, particularly in war. As far as being in harm‟s way is concerned, I do not see much difference between what the police do and what the military does. For that reason, in the military they have a Group Personnel Assurance Scheme commonly referred to as the GPA. The police must learn a lot from the military particularly in the area of welfare; how to look after their own and how to compensate the next of kin. It is in the police where I realised that those with mental health illnesses or depression are allowed to go back to their villages for recuperation. But as the condition of those individuals deteriorates, they are retired. This is not fair because those individuals succumb to those conditions while they are on active duty. When I look at some of the things that happen in the police force, sometimes I sympathise with them and at times I am angered by what our police do. On 12th April this year, I lost five persons. They were murdered in cold blood by known assailants. To date, not a single individual has been brought before a court of law. This is the case and yet the individuals are known. Sometimes you ask yourself what is the benefit of having a police force that fails to respond to the call of duty. The common mwananchi sometimes sees the police as a necessary evil. For this to be a good country of law and order, the police force must do its duty without necessarily being harassed and without complaints by politicians. When matters are clearly in the public domain, they must do their bit. Hon. Members who have spoken before me have talked about police recruitment. It is an area of great concern. We really want to know whether in the current Constitution when there are complaints with regard to police recruitment, do you go to the Inspector-General of the Police? Do you go to the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination of National Government? Do you go to the IPOA? Do you go to the National Police Service? Where do you go? The centres of power are very fragmented. The individuals who will give you answers have varied opinions on issues of complaints, which are genuine. When we are told that the police are recruiting 10,000 and we have 290 constituencies, if they will recruit less than 20 or 30 police officers in any of our constituencies, then we are bound to ask questions and the police must give us answers. This is a good Bill but it directly points at the management and leadership of the police force that must stand up and be counted. With those remarks, I beg to support the Bill."
}