Public Trust and Service Delivery in the National Police Service, Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Globally most countries have experienced totalitarian governments that have given the police forces a bad reputation hence, are in the process of reforming their service to enhance public trust. This study evaluated the effects of public trust on service delivery in the National Police Service (NPS) in Nairobi County, Kenya. It was anchored on the motive-based theory which involves inferences about motives and intentions of the police and reflects the concept of fiduciary trust. A pragmatic research philosophy that supports the simultaneous use of qualitative and quantitative methods of inquiry to generate evidence was adapted. An evaluation research design was used in the study. The study targeted 2100 police officers out of which a sample of 215 police officers was selected randomly. In addition, a corresponding number of 105 members were purposely selected. Questionnaires and a key informant interview guide were used to collect primary data. Qualitative data were thematically analyzed while quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The majority of the respondents were males aged between 26-35 years. The majority (62%) of the respondent police officers were not sure if there is a decrease in complaints against police officers. The majority (94%) of the respondents’ members of the public did not have trust in the police service hence, cannot report cases of crime owing to fear of victimization. These aspects may have affected the implementation of police reforms as a result of the lack of a strong community partnership in crime prevention and police accessibility. Reforms have not improved the relationship between the community and the police officers given that human rights abuses and corruption are still prevalent among the officers resulting in a lack of public trust. The study concludes that public trust in the police service is very low, this could hamper service delivery. The study recommends full implementation of career guidelines on promotion, retraining police officers on human rights and emerging security threats, and police officers wearing body and dash cameras for accountability and transparency to build public trust.