A police officer was found dead after a suspected suicide incident in Nyeri Town.
The incident happened on Saturday, November 30 at the Nyeri Central Subcounty offices.
Constable George Kimiti Gichuki was the armorer at the Administration Police Service offices where he died.
He is said to have his AK47 rifle to shoot himself in the chest.
The bullet went through the back killing him instantly, police said.
Central Regional Police Commander Samuel Ndanyi said the body had a single bullet hole through the left side of the chest.
The bullet exited on the upper left side of the back.
The body had no other visible injuries and an AK47 rifle without a magazine was recovered lying beside him.
The detached magazine with 19 bullets was found at the scene.
Police said a spent cartridge and a blood-stained projectile suspected to have exited from the body was recovered on the floor.
The body was moved to the mortuary pending autopsy and other investigations.
The incident comes two weeks after a corporal of police was found dead after he shot himself in the chin in a suicide mission at the National Police Service Campus in Nyeri County.
The incident happened Monday November 18 morning and involved Corporal Collins Imoni Onyando.
He blew his head near the residence of the college commandant.
The motive of the incident is yet to be known, police said.
Police said Onyando shot himself below the chin and the bullet exited on the head.
Police said a rifle, make CZ loaded with a magazine of 29 rounds of ammunition was found near his feet and an empty cartridge was recovered at the scene.
The body was moved to the mortuary.
This is the latest such incidents to happen and is linked to trauma.
At least three suicide cases involving police officers are recorded every
month.
Officials say police are generally on the receiving end of all community problems.
They are expected to maintain law and order in very difficult situations, besides putting their lives at risk.
Over the years, a spike in deaths in the service has been linked to trauma. They include deaths by gun.
Last month, police authorities said police officers worldwide tend to die by suicide more than the general public.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja also said depression affects all people regardless of age or social status, but police officers report higher levels of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder than the general population.
He said police work is a very noble career because one gets to serve and protect humanity.
However, the nature of police work as shown by research globally, is also very demanding and stressful.
He said police officers are constantly handling traumatic and disturbing scenes of crime and accidents that often leave them with long-term mental and psychological trauma.
“Consequently, police officers worldwide tend to commit suicides more than the general public. On the same note, depression affects all people regardless of age or social status, but police officers report higher levels of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder than the general population,” he said.
Relatedly, Kanja said, they are now seeing an increasing trend among the youth and children engaging in substance use and drug abuse yet police officers have not been spared either despite being the law enforcers.
“From the consumption of illicit brews to abuse of drugs i.e. bhang, heroin and other substances contributing significantly to mental illness and criminal behavior.”
Unfortunately, he added, most law enforcement officers shy away from seeking
mental health assistance which delays possible interventions in their
situations.
Kanja said due to these realities and the prevalent challenges, mental health remains a pertinent issue in our country, and of particular concern to the National Police Service.
To deal with mental illness, the National Police Service has been undertaking deliberate measures by adopting a multi-pronged approach, he said.
He argued the congregation provides much needed platform where we can share ideas and information on mental health.
He said the stigmatization that comes with mental illness is still a hurdle that all of us should strive to overcome.
“This calls for continuously creating awareness about mental health and mental illness among the members of the public and most importantly, police officers,” he said.
He said all should challenge misconceptions, stereotypes and negative perceptions surrounding mental health in order to create an environment where individuals feel comfortable to seek help and support without fear of discrimination.
He said they have established the Directorate of Chaplaincy and Counseling to spearhead and coordinate professional counseling and psychosocial support for officers.
Through partnerships with medical institutions and provision of medical cover, police officers are also able to access psychosocial support but much more is required.
Kanja said he is focused on transforming police stations into centers of excellence for service delivery to the public.
This among others calls for training of officers to standardize their service and enhance professionalism.
“With proper training, Kenyans should be able to access services at police stations regardless of their social status.”
“However, apart from training, addressing mental well-being of officers plays a
central role in the transformation of police stations into centers of
excellence, we need mentally stable officers to serve and protect members of
the public,” he said.
He said the transformative task however cannot be left to the police alone, amidst limited resources such as trained professionals and infrastructure.
“We need partnerships with everybody, from members of the community to development partners, from academic institutions to hospitals and many other experts.”
Dozens of police officers have died as a result of suicide or killed many in a
trend that is attributed to stress at work.
