IPOA says noncooperation from state agencies frustrating its work

The Independent Policing and Oversight Authority (IPOA) on Wednesday decried the lack of cooperation from state agencies, making it difficult for the agency to execute its constitutional mandate.

Even though the authority was granted the mandate to investigate issues such as police misconduct, and deaths and serious injuries caused by police action, IPOA Commissioner John Waiganjo says they have been unable to do so effectively largely due to the failure of police to cooperate with the agency as required by law.

In light of recent deaths suspected to have been caused by police action during anti-tax protests, the commissioner said IPOA has been receiving a lot of criticism from members of the public who do not know the full extent of frustrations they get in their bid to get to the bottom of the matter.

“We want the public to know we are working under very tough conditions. During the lifetime of IPOA we have not seen the level of un-cooperation we are seeing now from the senior police officers,” he said

He said police are normally in custody of some of the files that are key to a case but most times getting such documentation is almost impossible.

“We sometimes go back to them to get certain documentation that we cannot move without. But we have found a hostile environment where our officers are not getting any information and when we give out summonses, they are not responded to,” he said at a Citizen TV interview Wednesday morning

According to Waiganjo, IPOA is sometimes forced to rush to court to push for warrants of arrest to get the police to cooperate with the Authority and share relevant information.

“We have a tough task. if we don’t get information, if we don’t get cooperation from the senior police officers, then it would appear we are doing nothing,” he said

The Commissioner said it is not just the police that is frustrating the work of IPOA. He also cited situations where hospitals admitting those injured through police action refuse to give information needed to file a case.

“It’s not just un-cooperation from the senior command of the National Police Service. It’s also un-cooperation from government institutions. We have been visiting health institutions like KNH, also trying to get medical of those involved in demonstrations and those we think their injuries are related to gunshot and institutions are not giving us the cooperation we require,” he said