If you feel a news story does not measure up to expected journalistic standards, bring it to the Journalism Dry Cleaner. Through our collective wisdom, we will strip it of all offensive dirt.

REAL TIME VISITORS

LIVE STATS

BLOG GUESTS

Friday 21 January 2011

POLICE EXECUTION OR CRIME ELIMINATION?




It's a shocking case of police officers killing 3 suspected criminals in broad daylight. Not unusual in Kenya, unless you consider the execution was in full glare of members of the public. Any responsible media outlet should condemn such brazen  killings. But, don't criminals mercilessly kill the same way?

                                          One of the suspects being executed, courtesy Daily Nation

It was Mahatma Gandhi who said, 'an eye for an eye makes the whole world  blind.' But, 'an eye for a smile,' I hasten to add, 'would make the whole world smileless.'

It is understandably quite easy to condemn the killing of suspected criminals, without recourse to the due process of the law. After all, law enforcers are not above the same law they seek to enforce.

But spare a thought for those, who have had the misfortune of being terrorised by these so-called suspects. The trauma generated is almost impossible to erase, whether the 'suspects' kill their victims or spare their lives.

And when police officers are killed in the line of duty, not much protestation is elicited, at least not one bordering a national outcry.
                  


The recent case of a traffic policeman being engaged in a very physical confrontation with a 'suspected,' offender, is a case in point. It was to an extent, reduced to an 'enjoyable' spectacle, with some even siding with the person resisting arrest.

So yes. In a just society, there is no place for killing 'suspects' but the operative word is 'just.' In that ideal world, criminals would not abound in the first place and it's just unfair to always be eager to turn against the very people trying to protect lives and property.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

another case at hand..the shauri moyo deputy OCS was short the other day by these so called suspects (read thugs n murderers)..who cared!!!!! i think its high time we appreciated the work of police n appreciate they are human beings too....what if those criminals were successful in hijacking a car full of family members? we would be hearing of..gang rapes mother n daughters in-front of their father n kills him in cold blood!! where are the police and what is there work??the headlines would go...so lets be honest n stop being hypocritical...supporting deadly criminals only means increased insecurity in our country!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous, as we appreciate their human side, there acts are inhumane, so the law of the jungle are is not for the human.Lets not play scenarios,big brother was caught napping and thats the gist of the matter.it may be you kesho, to avoid any recurrence they should serve as an example for others.I dont condone criminality,likewise i dont condone wanton extra judicial killings.period.

Anonymous said...

I think we as Kenya's, we should also remember the case of Shauri Moyo Deputy O.S, the man surrendered, the criminals took his rival and they went ahead and shot him, unarmed!! with the intention to kill him, is he not a son, a father, a brother an uncle and a relative to our fellow Kenyans, Lets be fair, we are all Kenyans and lets not criticize our brothers and sisters who put their lives on the line for our security, please lets consider both sides of the coin, will you?

Anonymous said...

Thieves are never to be spared,you shield the they execute you in a more ugly manner than it was did to them.Those officers should be awarded.

timothy kemei said...

I agree with u Gachiri by all means. How else will the police do their work if we condemn them when they rid us of killer gangs and criminals? They are losing morale and that is not a police force one would like. Lets allow them to do their job, but they should exercise restraint at times. Everyone is shouting now yet when armed robbers come to their houses they ask why the police weren't prepared. It appears that the Kenyan police is a cursed lot. It shouldn't be so.Lets give them the support they need to make our world safer

Anonymous said...

A traffick policeman stops to talk to talk to a tout whose car had stopped in the middle of the high way to let customers out.as soon as he approaches him the tout who had not even proper uniform pushed the cop aside.an argument started n he ressisted arrest.a crowd began forming n soon quite a handful bgan throwing stones at the cop.sensing danger the loan cop left the tout n to avoid being hit more he lied down.the mob continued til more cops came to his rescue.firing severaly in the air the mob dispersed begging 4 the cops blood.had the matatu been swept by a truck or caused an accident several pple would av died including someone in that crowd.that was in kakamega n months later a terrible accident occured claiming several lives.why then is the public blowing out of proportion the act of the police force in duty that day? The police r human n their lives of value too.am dis-appointed

Anonymous said...

My dad was shot and Killed by thugs several years ago as me, my brother and an uncle watched. His head exploded and we all watched that! I can still remember the sickening smell of blood and the sight of his limp body lying on his own blood. These inhuman thugs are way worse than police. They were brandishing the guns around and pointing them at us. It wasn't clear when next we'd hear another gunshot. You can never live a normal life after an ordeal like that - NEVER! It breaks you apart. You cry endlessly but the pain never goes away. It's the most extreme kind of torture.
The three men shot and killed by the police were armed with a pistol. What do you think they needed this for, hunting birds? What are the chances that if taken to court they'd have spent even a single day in custody? Our Police did a commendable job taking out these criminals. They did an even better job taking them out in full view of the public. Sometimes the best way to kill a bad habit is to take it out in the open and paint it in gore!
Good work CID, I hope you're back on the street soon enough

Anonymous said...

KILL ALL THAT ARE FOUND TO BE CARING ILLEGAL FIRE ARMS.ASK ANYONE WHO HAS HAD ANY EXPERINCE WITH CAR JACKERS,RAPISTS AND MURDERS AND THE ANSWER IS SHOOT AS MANY AS YOU CAN MR. POLICEMAN

Fremam said...

these criminals when arrested even with guns there is no sufficient evidence when taken to court since most hire qualified lawyers against prosecutors with minimal training so when acquitted they come targeting the officers who arrested them. Another point when a police officer is killed by thugs its never taken as a human right violation but when the criminals are short the public is out to condemn the police

Anonymous said...

Let the police fix those illegally armed people. I have been carjacked before. It was a traumatizing experience. Those who have chosen life the criminal way should be dealt with the eliminating way. If the police are to give them time to reform by arresting and judging in court,wont these devils shot the police before they even attempt to arrest?

Anonymous said...

The press was clear that these people had criminal records. What's the need of arresting them and eventually they still go back to the streets to terrorize us? Think of it hypothetically would the criminals have left the cops go scott free? What if it were you they were stealing from? or your loved one killed like that Captain at Makaburini on Langata rd? I say kill them criminals its a way of reducing crime in Kenya because they never learn period!

Anonymous said...

If the police were to boycott duty for one night, i can assure you that even the loudest human right activists will take the next available flight across the border. Those devils are merciless. They dare kill police officers. The police are doing a good job

Anonymous said...

This is a well thought out critic Albert. Without supporting the action of the officers, its with concern that most people condemn Police officers unnecessarilly. We forget that Police officers are other people's parents,they are other people's sons and daughters. They feel pain when pinched; they bleed blood when hurt.

We need to appreciate Police officers when they do good with much zeal as we condemn them when on the wrong. As human beings, Police Officers need to feel appreciated. Let no person underate the role they play. Lets think of this country for a single day without these guys we condemn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Thugs in Kenya kill without provocation. It is a job well done by the police. People who are here blaming the police do not live in the Kenya that we know. What do you make of a ruthless thug who is ready to pull the trigger without being provoked? What do you make of people who have been left orphans, widows and widowers by the same thugs you guys are trying to protect. Gachiri well said man. Your analysis is really to the point. I think anybody who engages in crime and more so people who are ready to use force when they rob, should be executed. I bet this will be a lesson to the rest!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

many kenyans have been victims of armed robbery however that should not blind us from the bigger picture those officers were in fact acting as criminals there is need to draw a clear line betwen police duty n murder.if indeed the suspects were armed n dangerous why then did initial police reports released to the media claim that shots were fired a gun battle ensued n the police heroically managed to subdu the suspects only for the ugly truth to b nown the next day. more kenyans shuld come 4th nexpos impunty

Anonymous said...

wonders will never cease to happen!Dare fight your security.

Anonymous said...

Who will police the police?

Anonymous said...

The police have to get rid of these kind of thugs but they have to do it in a more concealed way. Not that am support them though, they all seem to know each other. The police need PR lessons retraining & most of all a fresh breed thats out to assist the Kenyan people.

Anonymous said...

Two of the people gunned down are ex-convicts. They were armed. Evidently anyone who says the police should have arrested them has never been in the hands of Kenya's robbers - terrorised, gang raped, sodomised, dehumanised, killed - that is the usual operation. I say execute them all and be damned with human rights. A gun carrying criminal has lost the right to human rights!

Anonymous said...

Imagine you are waiting for a matau one day and a former schoolmate you haven't seen in a long time spots you and offers you a ride. You don't realize he's a wanted criminal and the car he's driving is stolen. You get pulled over by CIDs and before you have a chance to explain, you are all sprayed with bullets!! I'm not in no way trying to support the criminals, I'm not even condeming the police, God knows the sacrifice they have to make, all I'm saying is that this is not the way to do it. The answer to the problem in our beloved Kenya is to elimiate corruption. Reform the court systems and fire all corrupt judges otherwise our police are left with no choice but execute the criminals because the corrupt judges will let them walk away scot free to terrorize another Kenyan. May God bless our police and and our country Kenya. -Moses from New York.

Anonymous said...

When they carjacked me in the company of my wife and daughter, whatever we underwent changed my mind about them forever. At the age of 9 years, my daughter felt the cold barrel of a gun on her cheek prodding her to hand over any money the mother might have given her to hide. We lost all the valuables we had on us to these guntoting cowards and all the while they were bragging about how many people they had given tickets to heaven to. it was sickening and i dont think my daughter will ever come out of it. She cant sleep alone and she cant trust people away from home. She wakes us up at night screaming and talking about people shooting her. And here you tell me to feel anything but joy when these bugs are squashed the way they deserve? No sir. Let the police clean our streets and areas of residence of the scum. Not all jobless guys turn to crime so dont give me that tired line of they are jobless. only lazy.

Anonymous said...

THOSE SHOUTING HAVE NEVER BEEN A VICTIM,I WISH BY NOW IN A CIVILIZED SOCIETY ,THOSE CID AFANDE SHOULD BE PROMOTED.THEY KILLED EX-CONVICTS THEY DID THEIR JOB WISELY,THOSE WERE THUGS.WHAT DO WE DO WITH CRIMINALS?? CONTINUE SHOUTING ONE DAY UTAJUA MALENGE NI MBOGA.MY BROTHERS DONT WORRY YOUR JOBS IS SECURED BY THE GRACE OF THE LORD.

wamurehu said...

I stand in support of the police!!!!!lets applaud them for eliminating these harmful elements from our streets.Who knows where they were headed to n what their mission was.Saitotild shou reinstate the policemen immediately to their jobs n if there r any promotions tob done,they should be the first ones to be considered!Heko askari kwa kazi nzuri!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Police thumbs up!! Kill them all.........Angamiza hii Nyag'au yote bila huruma. This vermin's are lazy idiots that have decided to reap from hard working KENYANS. Spare none of them......Jambazi ni Jambazi piga risasi ukipata yeye....No Retreat No Surrender

Anonymous said...

hapo sasa.........maliza mkora yote....KUBAFU

Unknown said...

from the same media that highlighted the story,two of the elimimated thugs had few months ago been released from prison and maybe become hardcores upon leaving prison.the officer was very right in eliminating them and who knows sometymes they are even warned by the officers to either discard their criminal acts or die.they choose to die.KILL THEM ALL

JAKK said...

@Moses from New York.......there is no time for imagination here, its a matter of life or death. If this fallen idiots had a chance to corner the police before they were cornered, what do you think the headlines would read? You are leaving in NY, but this is Nairobi where this bastards are merciless, even after your surrendering every thing to them. They start by carjacking you and your family, take you to ATM machines en withdraw your hard earned cash, rape your mother, wife, daughter, before your eyes, molest you as they(your family) look, then put a bullet in your fathers head and kill him in cold blood as you watch and finally take all your valuables and disappear your lovely car that u still servicing a loan with......I think ALL THOSE WHO ARE AGAINST THE POLICE ARE READING FROM A DIFFERENT SCRIPT....THAT OF IMAGINATION...GUYZ YOU NEED TO FACE THE REALITY...DON'T WAIT TILL THAT DAY WHEN YOU BECOME A VICTIM SO THAT YOU OPEN YOUR EYES.....WHEN THEY ARE LYNCHED BY WANANCHI WHY HAVEN'T YOU GUYZ REACTED THE SAME WAY?...............KUDOS, THUMBS UP KENYA POLICE...EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLING MA FOOT...THIS CASE IS DIFFERENT FROM POST ELECTION VIOLENCE..whoever is comparing the two cases has no idea...Bw AFANDE uuwa jambazi yote bila huruma. Safisha Mkora yote ya Nairobi na risasi.
Condolences to the families of Shauri Moyo Deputy O.C.S, ALFAYO of KTN and all other victims killed by this HOOLIGANS..... ALL THIS CRIMINALS THEIR PLACE IS HELL, YOU ALL DESERVE A BULLET ON HEAD BY POLICE.

Anonymous said...

JAKK, you've said it all......Askari angamiza hii nyani yote bakisha wanaichi wazalendo pekee....Even if they surrender KILL them all with all their barbarism and burn their corpses if possible coz we don't want their graves to exist. Shoot them and behead them even if they surrender. No retreat No surrender....Police angamiza uhalifu

JAMES said...

I would say those cops did well,because huyo jambazi hapaswi kupewa nafasi.hey POLICE go on smoking your guns criminals deserves bullet on there head

Anonymous said...

Do you remember Jordan??? he was a student of USIU who was gunned down by trigger happy cops sometimes back near GPO. When the British abolished the death penalty they said, its better to let 1000 criminal go free than kill one innocent man and I believe so. Do not miss the point here my friends, the issue is simple, what does the LAW say. Do we need courts? do we need to pay judges? do we need prosecutors? PLSE give us a brake, this is the 21st century not the stone age.