Policing with a Right Heart

Oh my goodness! How I loved 2020 and how it “gracefully” showed us our hidden selves by taking off the veils of the ‘me, myself and I’ syndrome that we have covered ourselves with for too long.

The false pandemic or let me say “plandemic” that created such a heightened level of societal breakdown, the lockdown that was not really necessary, the many houses of bubbles that were burst in the faces of their owners and the reality of the fact that, what we humans have spent so many years building in the name of a system, became shadows within just a  few months. A thing which clearly gave many a new perspective about life and how best to live, going forward.

It was such a beautiful year that revealed the many flaws in our societies, families, business models, economy, trade, education and even in the individual spaces. So for us here at MsingiAfrika Magazine, life really got a huge and sweet reset in 2020 and we are so grateful for it.

I intentionally called the pandemic false, because, what else should you call it when the virus which they said caused the pandemic has 99.9% recovery rate? False at best.

One thing also stands out concerning 2020, the can of worms locked up in the global police system got opened and the stench that came out of it could have killed a person from a million miles away. From the murder of George Floyd by a policeman in the US and the EndSars protests that saw the banning of the systemic wickedness called SARS (Special Anti Robbery Squad) in Nigeria. Surely, 2020 really came to open us up to ourselves, but it will be every man’s responsibility to respond to the call for change even as we have seen that life can actually change within the space of a year.

What about Police?

Speaking about the Police force and the act of policing, there are lots of issues to deal with, but let me keep it simple.

A few weeks ago, I came across an article in The Star daily newspaper. The article was about Mr George Kinoti, the Director of DCI (Directorate of Criminal Investigation) Kenya. I will use a few excerpts from the article. I kind of like the article, not necessarily because the many issues facing the police system were addressed, but because, from my own point of view, someone, in this case, MrKinoti, seems to understand that it does not matter what kind of work you do or what agency of government you work for, you will always reap the harvest of what you sow. That for me was the joker for 2020. For I think that, humans have somehow learnt to forget that there are natural laws that must not be broken in the course of living daily and the consequences that come with breaking such natural laws.

According to the article, MrKinoti was recorded as saying:

“You can’t sleep well if peoples’ tears and curses are upon you.” He said, referring to how police men should go about their duties.

Kinoti noted that for him to be able to investigate cases that have led to the loss of public funds he has had to be guided by the true spirit behind their title DCI – Dedication, Care and Integrity.

The article continued:

“I believe hell begins right here on earth, all actions have consequences and there is absolutely no honor in being a thief!” he said.

“I see this job as God’s test. I believe that God is watching to see whether I will do good to my fellow human beings who look up to me for protection and security as a police officer.”

He said that he has always encouraged his team to do things that they will never regret later in life.

“I also encourage them to draw lessons from their retired colleagues. Those who did this job with integrity are happy and those who went astray like taking bribes are not happy in retirement,” he said.

I believe that God is watching to see whether I will do good to my fellow human beings who look up to me for protection and security as a police officer.”

“Do not cause pain to people. Bring them relief instead. Seek blessings as investigators,” he said.

“Invest in peace of mind. Doing wrong as an investigator will always haunt you. I am a product of philanthropy. I am a product of goodwill.”

Kinoti said as a child he benefited from caring and kind people.

“Good people stepped in to educate me. I was greatly inspired by missionaries and their desire to serve humanity,” he said. “They not only served as priests but also as engineers, teachers, doctors and masons. We account to God at the end of the day.”

Kinoti said he does not tire in asking his officers to be genuine in their commitment against evil.

“…and avoid blood money at all costs because the money soon turns into tears money,” he said. “Never cause a member of the public to shed tears. The weak always say ‘I leave it to God’ and that can be a very powerful curse because God fights for the weak. Chungana sana na chozi la mnyonge!” (Be very careful of the tears/cries of the weak.)

My thoughts

Sincerely speaking, I can’t begin to tell you how much I love and appreciate these words of MrKinoti, while hoping that he really lives out the reality of these words he shared with the world.

If not for anything, that someone, a policeman, an Afrikan, with all the madness and shade thrown at the business of policing, can still come up with such attitude towards policing. It’s such a blessing.

I know you may say that it’s not actually supposed to be a surprising thing, since policing was naturally supposed to be about duty, integrity, dedication and compassion for the masses. And you are very correct to say that, but in the system that we have created over time, where the art of policing is so rigged and corrupt and where no one really cares, a little change or difference in perspective naturally calls for appreciation.

If you look closely at the issue with policing, you will see that it’s actually beyond the agency that the men and women in uniforms work for. It has become a very wicked spirit in the hearts of many, which makes them kill, maim or even destroy the destinies of others just to prove whatever position they may be trying to prove. I think we humans have created such a false attitude about life that we have come to make ourselves like lords over people and we have somehow forgotten that actions do have consequences. For instance, how do you explain the action of the President of a nation or governor of a state or the actions of the minister of a ministry who intentionally steal what is meant for the masses, and then sends his police or armed soldiers to deal with them when they complain? That’s wickedness to say the least. But in as much as this article is about police and policing, it makes sense to also say that it’s about all of us. Just as there are consequences for the actions of policemen, so are there consequences for our actions. How we treat the homeless, the widow, the orphan, the girl or boy child. How we decide what is wrong or right when it comes to dealing with the people that are close to us. Do we twist justice to exonerate our family members and then jail others who do the same things as they did? There are lots of things to look into when it comes to policing or how we deal with each other.

Life is not some vague attempt by God test if His plans on earth for man will work. Life is a deliberate intention from Him to us. And that’s why when Cain decided to think he had control over his brother’s life, he was asked “Where is your brother?” And sincerely speaking, the same question is being posed to everyone of us right now. But what are our answers?