Police now have new manual of operations

Kiambu Administration Police Commander Dismus Nyakundi (left) with his Bungoma counterpart Paul Soi at the KICC, where the police service Standing Orders were unveiled, Wednesday.  [Photo: Collins Kweyu/Standard]

By Cyrus Ombati

Nairobi, Kenya: The newly drafted National Police Service Standing Orders have been launched amid calls on the police to always observe the law.

The new orders establish the formation of various units of the service and their scope of work and will cater for regular and Administration Police (AP) and Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The booklet presents a new police organisational structure, working units and operational ones with clear manuals on how officers should handle situations.

The Standing Orders are administrative orders for the general control, direction and information of the service envisaging to unite both police services under the command of the Inspector General of Police.

The draft now needs the public’s input before it is validated. It says administrative functions of the service shall be exercised at the office of the Inspector General and delegated accordingly to the Kenya Police Service, the Administration Police Service and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

Deputy Inspectors General will be in charge of AP and regular police services and the DCI.

It outlines all the new police ranks and their functions, police stations and outposts and what is supposed to be done there.

New units

The draft also names all the new police units. For instance, under the Kenya police there will be Internal Affairs, Anti-Stock Theft, Tourist Police, Railway Police, Presidential Escort, Marine Police, Kenya Airports Police, Dog Unit, General Service Unit, Diplomatic Police, Kenya Police Airwing, Kenya Police Staff Training College and Kenya Police Traffic department.

The AP units will have; Air Support Unit, AP Security of Government Buildings, AP Service Conflict Management and Peace Building, Rapid Deployment, Rural-Border Patrol, Specialised Stock Theft Prevention, Financial Services Support, AP Strategic Points Protective Unit, among others.

Under CID, there will be Terrorism Prevention and Investigations Unit, Anti-Narcotics Unit, among others.