The ongoing police reforms should include removing the police from camps and integrating them in the community just like it happens in Western countries.
This radical suggestion was made by Dr Solomon Wang’uru , Nakuru County Peace Monitor chairman, who proposed that segregating police in camps has widened the gap between the police and the community.
“As we continue with police reforms, we should consider putting an end the habit of having police officers live in camps. The police are human just like us and we should consider having them living among their families in communities,” suggested Dr Wang’uru.
He was speaking on Tuesday during a workshop for civil societyorganisations where they are seeking ways of handling the issue of urban violence with a focus on Nakuru municipality.
The workshop is hosted by the Midrift Human Rights Network , an NGO in Nakuru.
Other NGOs involved in the workshop are the Independent Medico-Legal Unit, Katiba Institute and Danish Institute against Torture (Dignity).
Mr Ben Gathogo, chairman of Nakuru Town Service Matatus explained that the culture of police living in camps started in the colonial times when they were not considered part of the community.
“It is high time we integrated the police to live among us and doing away with the idea of seeing them as not part of the larger community,” said Gathogo.