Sunday, January 15, 2012

Strict code of conduct for officers on guard duties



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By FRED MUKINDA fmukinda@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Saturday, January 14  2012 at  22:30
Police officers who provide security to VIPs are guided by certain procedures and protocol, besides the Police Act and the Force Standing Orders.
And while those deployed to guard the President, Prime Minister and Vice-President undergo specialised training, those that guard other VIPs like MPs are not necessarily trained on these duties, with many of them being ordinary officers drawn from police stations.
While police guards follow the VIPs almost everywhere they go, they are required to ensure they do not interfere with their privacy.
For instance, the guards keep their distance when the VIP they are supposed to protect is meeting his or her acquaintances.
Like in Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Baraza’s case, CCTV footage at the Village Market showed her guard walking her up to the entrance of the pharmacy and waiting outside while she purchased medicine at the counter.
Such officers are also required to understand the needs and pressures of political figures coupled with the demand for individual security.
Though the guards are always armed, they should be able to ensure safety standards using non-combative means.
In Kenya, the Recce and L companies of the General Service Unit specialise in VIP protection while in the Administration Police, it is reserved for the Security of Government Buildings Unit.
The officers are also trained in surveillance, which is crucial for detecting and identifying potential threats and acting before an attack on a VIP happens.
And in the event of a dangerous incident, VIP guards are trained on evacuation techniques.
Guards are also required to attend refresher courses every month and undergo advanced driving courses for defensive driving skills.
In one incident where VIP protection techniques came in handy, Constable Raymond Lang’at of the GSU was escorting Sotik MP Joyce Laboso from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to her home in Kilimani on January 28, 2011.
While waiting for the gate to her residence to be opened, four armed men emerged from the darkness. One got control of the car while the other three kept watch.
The officer, whipped out his pistol and fired at one of the three suspects standing on the left side of the car and then turned and shot at his accomplice who was by then reversing.
The other two suspects ran into their vehicle and sped off but were later arrested after Constable Lang’at contacted his colleagues who pursued them. Two AK-47 rifles loaded with bullets were recovered from them.

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