The National Police Service Commission has commenced on addressing rising cases of suicide and murders within the service.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Security and Administration Committee, NPSC chairperson Eliud Kinuthia said that all officers will undergo mental assessment.
Kinuthia said that the commission has set up a medical board that is carrying out assessments on all officers.
“The role of the members of the service is very demanding both physically and mentally. Members of the service handle traumatic situations, which may cause problems such as stress and deoression. There is, therefore, need to address these issues to ensure members of the service are in the right mind to serve,” said Kinuthia.
“The commission has established a special medical board to conduct the degree of mental illnesses affecting members of the National Police Service. This will inform cases that need referral for specialised treatment and any other interventions.”
The commission’s vice-chairperson Dr. Alice Olwande said that five doctors had been seconded to the commission from the Ministry of Health for the exercise, which is expected to be completed in November this year.
She added that medical board has so far assessed officers in Nairobi.
Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai said the outcome of the ongoing assessment will be crucial in addressing mental illness within the service.
The illness has seen a number of police officers killing their colleagues and turning guns on themselves.
“The board is meeting each and every officer and assessing them individually. They will come up with statistics because this is an area which requires data,” the police boss said.
However, Deputy Inspector General of Police Edward Mbugua said issues affecting police officers only need a holistic approach to solve it.
He said poor working conditions has led to the rise of police depression noting that unless the working environment is improved, police officers will continue to suffer from depression and stress.
He noted that symptoms are the one being addressed instead of the root cause of why the officers are going through depression.
“Long working hours and lack of retraining are some of the issues that have led to depression within the service. Most police stations are not only understaffed, but have no funds to facilitate movement, forcing commanders to use their own money,” he said.