Let police love each other, we can deal with violence in another way
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i and Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai in a conversation at the National Police College-Kiganjo in Nyeri County on April 30, 2021. This was during the launching of cadet officer programme. 300 trainees will go through the programme for the next nine months.
What you need to know:
- The move is meant to address rising cases of sexual harassment and gender-based violence (GBV) within the police service.
- The government might need to brief Kenyans on how exactly the romance ban will be enforced.
Love speaks in a language that only those whose hearts beat to the same rhythm understand. Love has started and ended wars. To attempt to police love, in any capacity, is an exercise in futility.
But that’s what the government wants to do by stipulating that senior and junior officers should be barred from having affairs or romantic relationships with each other. The move is meant to address rising cases of sexual harassment and gender-based violence (GBV) within the police service.
“We cannot look away anymore. The process is ongoing to create an office of Ethics and Gender Relations under the Inspector General of Police, coupled with strengthening of Service Standing Orders to ensure cases of gender-based violence are promptly dealt with,” tweeted Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i through his official handle.
The government might need to brief Kenyans on how exactly the romance ban will be enforced. Perhaps the police will have a Romance Unit charged with thwarting any mushrooming “inter-rank” relationships.
Mental health
Policing romance doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the underlying mental health challenges among police officers that need to be dealt with swiftly before they explode – and they won’t explode because of love. They will explode despite love.
Hardly a few months go by before another ‘Police officer shoots wife/lover/husband, turns gun on self’ headline pops up. In an April 2021 incident, a GSU officer, Hudson Wakise, killed his wife, Pauline, before turning the gun on himself.
The CS called it a “very rude awakening” to “possible psychosocial challenges among some of our young officers that we have no choice but to now pay greater attention to”.
At least we are sure he knows there is a mental health problem among police officers. It, therefore, begs the question: Why try to deal with police romance and not fully address the underlying issues behind GBV?
Warped logic
Numerous studies have shown that mental health challenges experienced by police officers are a result of the trauma they encounter in the course of duty. Wakise, for example, witnessed first-hand the devastating effects of the Dusit terror attack in January 2019.
The stigma associated with mental health challenges means most of the conditions go undiagnosed, and the victims won’t benefit from any existing support.
The National Police Service programme dubbed “Muamko Mpya – Healing the Uniform”, which is meant to sensitise all police officers on trauma healing and psychological well-being, is a great start but it’s not enough.
Further, the police also need consistent training on handling and addressing cases of GBV. The logic behind policing romance is warped, even if the intentions are noble.
Love, in its purest form, always wins.
Ms Oneya comments on social and gender topics. @FaithOneya; [email protected]
