Employees of the National Police Service are now prohibited from making any unauthorized remarks about any incident, police policies, and procedures.
In a raft of measures shared by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to maintain professionalism and efficient communication with the public, the spokesperson appointed from the office of the Inspector General is responsible for representing or commenting on social media to ensure that all public communications are accurate and consistent.
The NPS has, however, retained the freedom to participate in public debates in an individual capacity devoid of linking personal comments with professional roles.
“Members of the Service shall not refer to their position or profession when expressing an opinion or participating in public debate in private capacity,” read part of the series of tweets.
According to the new regulations, any individual comments from the police should not be treated as institutional remarks from the National Police Service, Administration Police Service, Kenya Police Service, or Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
The officers have been instructed not to reference their professional roles or to, upon giving private comments, imply that views represent the Service, any police in breach of these guidelines will face disciplinary action.
“A police officer identifiable who posts offensive, racist, tribal, or obscene material on their personal social media site, shall be in breach of this order and shall be subject to a disciplinary procedure.”
The DCI noted that these measures will keep the mentioned institution from any compromise by any officer in their quest to efficiently serve citizens and the government in a politically neutral manner.
The Service had in the past year deployed new regulations to revamp how police officers work for the better good of the public.
Additionally, the officers have also been instructed to be well-mannered and uphold the values and good reputation of the police service on or off duty.
In their social media posts, the officers are required to clearly state that their posts represent personal views and restraint from any comments that demean the authorities.
They have also been prohibited from sharing or disclosing any confidential document unless authorized. Official documents remain accessible to the public.
Other guidelines outlined to the police are: to avoid commenting on matters that are currently under investigation, making offensive comments about the National Police Service and other affiliated institutions, not putting to the public any unauthorized or confidential materials including videos, police notes, and suspect’s interview videos
