Half-baked police: Instructors ill-prepared for role of training police recruits

Police recruits are not adequately trained to equip them with relevant skills needed for managing crime as well as maintaining law and order.

This is largely attributed to demotivated instructors who do not possess specialized training, have no scheme of service, and that some are forced to take up the training duties against their wish.

As a result, training in police colleges is below par, the taskforce on police reforms found out. its report, the taskforce led by retired Chief Justice  David Maraga established that most of the instructors are either deployed to, or dumped in the colleges as a punishment for being critical on issues.

“From the views received and the material placed before it, the taskforce wishes to place on record that limited, and at any rate sub-standard, training is offered to police officers,” says the Marage report.

A damning verdict putting to question on whether recruits are imparted with the requisite skills to fight crime, and maintain the peace. The situation is made worse by lack of proper training facilities in colleges where budgeted funds for training are routinely reallocated to other activities or returned without being utilised.

The inadequate training manifest in police conduct with many resorting to brutality, abusing human rights, mishandling crimes and investigations, among other social ills that continue to taint police image.

It also emerged that there are instances when well-connected recruits never attend classes during the initial basic trainings but are allowed to graduate. While making their submissions to the taskforce, officers cited cases of some recruited athletes and artists graduating even without completing the basic training.   

Even before the report was made public, there have been concerns among stakeholders and civil society that police training does not align with the provisions in the Constitution that places human rights at the centre of Kenya’s democracy.

Concerns have repeatedly been raised that police training curriculum and institutional framework do not adequately prepare officers for human-rights compliance and citizen-centred policing. More emphasis is instead placed on aggressive crowd control, and managing demonstration situations than respect for rights.

“There are no established criteria for identification and selection of instructors and trainers.  Some instructors the taskforce met at police training colleges, including the main training college at Kiganjo, confessed   that   they   had   no   specialised training to be   able   to   train competent police officers.  Some had been dumped in those colleges as punishment for being critical on various issues, resulting in little or no motivation at all for what they teach,” says the report.

Despite the colleges having various curriculum for junior and senior officers, the courses were just on paper. In practice, Maraga team found out that, the prescribed trainings are not carried out due to failure to prioritise resources and the resultant lack of funds. 

Making the situation even dire is the fact that regional training centres have been closed and the National Police Service (NPS) colleges are unable to handle current training needs.  

“It   is   common   knowledge   among   police   officers   and   key stakeholders that the NPS offers very limited training.  The blame and criticism are, in most   cases, laid on the NPS   without   considering   all   the   external   factors   that   have contributed to the current situation,” says the report raising questions on government’s commitment at ensuring officers are well trained and drilled.

The regional centres that were to provide continuous training, have been abandoned, leaving officers ill-equipped to respond to challenges of a rapidly changing security environment. In the era of technological advancement, no effort is being made to offer online courses.

Further, the capacities of officers in formations such as Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are significantly undermined by lack of training that is relevant to their skill needs in line with modern technology and trends. 

Previous taskforces underscored the importance of training in police transformation.  For instance, the retired Judge Philip Ransley led taskforce had proposed the overhaul of all aspects of police training, including the development of a new curriculum and restructuring of police training colleges.  

The Ransley report raised concern that the nine-month training   period is taken up by field drills and parades, with limited time allocated   to “intelligent” training, which   inculcates   professionalism and competence in the Service.  

The Ransley team established that the nine-month   period   was   hardly enough to train a competent and effective police officer.  The team called for the overhaul of the training programme in order to enhance the technical and mental capacity of the recruits to handle field challenges in modern-day policing, with central emphasis being placed on mental fitness and character formation. 

Fourteen years later, the Maraga team found out that although some of the recommendations have been implemented, police training institutions remain below standard, and poorly equipped to provide training in line with the current constitutional dispensation.

“The training colleges have no proper training facilities.  Besides being in a derelict state, with not even a coat of paint for many years, the training colleges including the Main Campus, Kiganjo and the APTC Campus A and Campus B in Embakasi, lack adequate accommodation, offices for instructors, classrooms, training materials, and other essential facilities to cater for the large numbers of recruits they are regularly saddled with,” notes the Maraga report.

The basic training course, which is the initial training offered to police recruits upon their enlistment, introduces   recruits   to   police   procedures   and   basic   practices.  

Other   specialised   courses   include, the   corporal promotional   training, service/platoon   senior   sergeant   course, the subordinate officers to Inspector of Police (SOIP) course, special   subordinate   to   Inspector   of   Police (S/SOIP) course, station/platoon sergeant course designed to train cadet sergeants.   

There are also various capacity building courses offered aside from the foregoing continuous promotional courses.

“These are all provisions on paper.  In practice, however, the prescribed trainings are not carried out due to failure to prioritise resources and the resultant lack of funds,” says the report unveiling to the public on Monday since being handed over to President Wiliam Ruto on November 16, 2023.

The   taskforce   received   views   on   training   from   members   of   the   public   and   other stakeholders.   The   Ministry   of   Interior submitted   that, in   the   current   fast   evolving environment, there is urgent need to review the curriculum for police training to bring it up to date with modern policing standards.   

Echoing the ministry’s view, Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) cited the lack of continuous refresher courses and training, and insufficient resources in training colleges, among other challenges. 

On their part, police officers submitted that the nine months’ recruit training should result in professional certification.  They complained that they are only given mere certificates of attendance, and decried lack of regular refresher training. 

“They alleged that the only regular in-service course offered, and to only favour officers, is generalised promotional training that does not address needs in the officers’ areas of expertise,” says the report. 

The lack of continuous training, has left officers poorly equipped to respond to the challenges of a rapidly changing security environment with the top police leadership sharing the blame for the lacklustre training.

According to the NPS training policy, the Service implements a basic police training curriculum for ordinary recruits and another for specialists and technical officers who join the   Service   through   direct   entry.  

After   the   initial   training, officers   are   supposed   to undertake other trainings appropriate to their specific responsibilities.   

The National Police Service Commission (NPSC) approved the training curriculum for the initial basic   training, the   DCI   training   curriculum, and   for   the strategic   leadership   command course.   

“The taskforce was informed that trainers and instructors in police training are seriously demotivated since most of them consider their deployment as punitive.  There is no proper training for instructors, no scheme of service for trainers and no established process for their selection,” notes the reports which made a raft of recommendations key among them, government to seriously invest in training for a professional Service.

“Continuous training   is   standard   practice   across   all   professions.   NPS officers, who   deal   with sophisticated   crime   patterns   and   handle   dangerous   weapons, require   rigorous   and continuous   training.   The   taskforce   regrets   that   the   regional   training   centres   have   all closed because of funding challenges,” says the report.

The Maraga team proposed that police training courses should be duly accredited and   conform to applicable international standards; training curriculum should be reviewed every four years to address emerging needs and areas; regional training centres including all shooting ranges should be revived; continuous training should be available in all cases but not limited to promotional purposes.

The training period for police recruits should be extended to 12 months or more in order to cater for theoretical and practical aspects of modern policing, including a practical attachment component while assessment and examination should include a   written   component, and that officers should be awarded certificates and diplomas.

To   avoid   overstretching   the   training   faciltiies   and   to   effectively   train, NPSC should   carry   out   recruitment of a manageable number of officers based   on the authorised establishment.

Further, NPSC should ensure proper training and competitive recruitment of trainers for the police training colleges.

On human rights, the taskforce found the training was poor and largely haphazard, and argued for the need for the Inspector General of Police to ensure officers have access to continuous training on human rights

Although the taskforce was informed   that   the   basic police recruit   training   has integrated   human   rights   into   the   curriculum, concerns rose that continuous training on emerging issues of human rights is unrealistic since most officers never access such training opportunities.

“It was also submitted that although NPS has trained some of its officers on matters of constitutionalism and human rights, there is overreliance on actors such as development partners and civil society to organise, conduct and fund trainings, which is not sustainable,” notes the report.

The public, and other key stakeholders submitted that failure to train the officers on current national and international human rights contributes to non- observance of human rights hence the many cases of violations by officers.

“The taskforce has established that human rights and accountability are largely seen by officers as irritations and hindrances to their effectiveness rather than the routine way of policing, and integral aspects of police work,” adds the report.