A sombre mood engulfed Mandera County after a newly recruited police officer died by suicide at the Burduras West Location shortly after reporting for work on Wednesday.
According to a police report obtained by Kenyans.co.ke, locals residing nearby discovered his body hanging on a tree and alerted the police about the incident.
Officers based at Burduras Police Station rushed to the scene and established the identity of the deceased. It was quickly established that he was a newly appointed administration police officer after a letter of appointment was found in his pockets.
Additionally, two mobile phones, a cotton material face mask and a purple carrier bag were also recovered from the scene.
Moments later, Officer Commanding Station Takaba, OC Crime Divisions and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) personnel Mandera West Sub-County visited the scene to document the events.
According to the police report, no suicide note was recovered.
"The body was removed to Takaba for further action," read part of the police report.
The incident highlights the dire situation that police officers face in their day-to-day activities.
Often, the officers are exposed to mental trauma as they attempt to maintain law and order and constantly have to deal with negative perception large sections of the society have on law enforcement.
This has thus led to a deterioration in the mental wellness of many law enforcement officers.
To address this challenge, the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) has established outreach programmes to provide counselling to affected officers.
Further, newly recruited officers are guided and trained by experienced cops to enable them navigate through challenges in a tough working environment.
