DCI Director George Kinoti.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 31- Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti has disbanded the rogue Flying Squad after concerns from the public over its high-handedness over the years.
Kinoti has now formed a new unit known as Sting Squad Headquarters (SSH) that will only have 50 detectives.
“There is nothing like Flying Squad from today,” he told Capital FM News, “I have taken the decision to disband it because of many complaints from the public on how they were operating.”
As at midday Tuesday, all the officers who worked under the unit that was headed by Musa Yego were ordered to return official vehicles to the DCI Headquarters on Kiambu Road.
“All of them have been re-deployed to other duties,” Kinoti said, “The Sting Squad Headquarters will have a maximum of 50 specialized trained officers who will respond to specific cases, among them armed robberies, kidnappings, motor vehicle theft, sale and distribution of contraband and substandard goods.”
He also scaled down the Special Crimes Prevention Unit (SCPU) and re-named it Special Service Unit (SSU) that will have officers with “intense training in and outside the country, in a bid to enhance their abilities and knowledge.”
And to ensure officers in the new units are privy to the day to day crime trends, Kinoti said, the two new units meant to work around the clock, will be linked directly to the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau for intelligence-driven operations.
He said they will also work, “alongside other augmenting Units including; Cybercrime, Ballistics, Scenes of Crime, Principal Crime Registrar, Crime Intelligence Unit, Homicide, (DNA, Toxicological, Chemistry and Biology Lab Units), currently being installed in the Ultra-Modern Forensic Laboratory.
The units will work closely with other State Security Agencies for information and intelligence sharing, among others. Both squads will be on standby 24/7 as needed in critical crime emergencies within the country.”
The DCI boss said he had written to police bosses asking them to recommend suitable officers to join the new unit.
Among the requirements include previous training in advanced weapon handling, have at least a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), be medically and physically fit and be ethically and emotionally sound.
About The Author
