National Police Service to hire after 3-year freeze

Kitutu Central recruiting officer during police recruitment at Gusii Stadium, on March 24, 2022. [File, Standard]

Recruitment of new police officers will be carried in September as the government moves to fill gaps occasioned by a three-year freeze on enlistment.

The last recruitment was done in 2022 with the officers graduating the following year. During the three-year pose attributed to financial constraints, many officers have left either through dismissal, resignation, retirement and death.

Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja estimates that there is a shortage of 5,000 officers and hopes the recruitment will fill the gap.

“We expect the recruitment exercise to take place around September or October, remember for the last three years we haven’t enlisted new officers to beef up our numbers as we aim to attain the United Nation’s recommended ratio of 1:450,” Kanja said on Sunday.

Apart from cattle rustling, banditry and terror threats, police officers are confronted with homicides, carjackings, violent robberies, human traffic, drugs trafficking, smuggling of goods, traffic offences among others.

But without adequate boots on the ground, compounded by inadequate resources and tools necessary for combating these crimes, the impact of police work is sometimes not felt.

In an attempt to seal corruption loopholes, the National Police Service Commission has deployed a digital tool that will enable online recruitment.

I“We have undertaken all necessary steps to ensure the next recruitment is conducted digitally. This will help seal corruption loopholes within the recruitment process,” said NPSC’s Chief Executive Officer Peter Leley.

According to Leley, the Police Recruitment System, a secure, digital platform that is expected to transform how new officers are enlisted.

The system might not be used in the coming recruitment since it has to be taken through several steps before implementation.

“We shall not use the digital system; it has to go through public participation including benchmarking, if necessary, before roll-out so as to get everything right,” explained Kanja.

Last Thursday, Interior PS Raymond Omollo called on young men and woman to take advantage of the exercise.