Community policing eight years down the lane

By Collins Shahonya

Community policing is a framework to counter insecurity launched by the immediate former president of the republic of Kenya Hon. Mwai Kibaki. It was launched as a pilot programme in Ruai, Nairobi. The program has been rolled out countrywide but with varying degrees of success.

As other areas lag behind, Isinya District has soared to greater heights making the dream of safer communities a reality. The success of community policing in Isinya has been attributed to Mr. Jeremiah Musumpai Ateti, the Chairman of Isinya District community policing.

Apart from being the Chairman of Isinya district community policing, Musumpai can be defined as a jerk of all trades; he is the chair of Isinya Peace committee, a village elder and he also a member of the constituency development fund committee.

Isinya district community policing Chairman Jeremiah Musumpai

Musumpai has a crème de la crème experience in matters relating to security, having served as a police officer for more than ten years. He took an early retirement from the police force to serve his community with diligence and willingness, thus giving back to his community.

“We have almost ten guiding values that have seen us succeed. These are accountability, inclusiveness, transparency, gender sensitivity and interaction between members and the public,” said Musumpai.

Musumpai said that community policing is a collaborative effort by the police and community that identifies problems of crime and disorder based on an assumption that police alone cannot control crime.

“We want to establish an active partnership between the police and the community for the purpose of realizing safer communities,” said Musumpai.

Musumpai said that community policing should not be confused with vigilantism and at the same time neither does it convey police powers to the members of the community policing committees.

Isinya community policing committees is made up of Chairman who is the community leader, co-chaired by the OCS (Officer In charge of a Station), a secretary, preferably a police liaison officer, an assistant secretary from the administration police and twelve to fifteen members from the ex-officio and stakeholders category.

Musumpai said that the person who was behind community policing was Robert Peel who discovered its effectiveness in the 1820’s. Though it was re discovered, modified, and re-introduced in the 1980’s

Musumpai said that he has now served in Isinya community policing committees for close to ten years. He said that for one to qualify to be selected he or she ought to be a Kenyan citizen over the age of eighteen years, a resident of that location for at least twelve months and a person of high integrity.

“To serve in the committee one must not have been convicted of a criminal offence for five years preceding his or her nomination.  One needs also to be influential and of a warm character,” said Musumpai.

He said that a person’s character should be able to win him allies all round. The person should also be trusted and respected rather than being feared.

He said that crime is a breach of one or more rules or laws for which some governing authority may prescribe punishment while an offence is an act, attempt or omission punishable by law.

Musumpai said that with his leadership they have been able to monitor crime trends, identify crime locations and find solutions to the local problems.

He said that they have been able to improve crime reporting as well as cultivating public spirit in assisting police in combating crime.

“We have been able to develop closer liaison between the police and the public, hereby improving their relationship and removing fear of police,” said Musumpai.

Musumpai said for this frame work to be sustained in the near future, facilitation is needed to hold meetings, pay fares and buy mobile air time.

“Our meager resources may not allow us to meet the expenses and we also need to be recognized and appreciated hence being a motivation for those volunteering in service for the sake of humanity,” Said Musumpai.