A sergeant of police was arrested after he threatened to shoot at a crowd in Huruma area, Nairobi.
The officer was on duty in the area when he retreated to the police station and cocked his rifle and declared “enough is enough”, police said.
Members of the public who were at the station at about 4 pm on Thursday scampered for safety on seeing the officer behave that way, witnesses said.
His colleagues moved to action and disarmed the officer before locking him up in custody.
He later refused to use a breathalyzer offered to him by his colleagues investigating the incident. The incident is among many being reported in the service. Officials link the trend to trauma in the service.
Read: Migori County Police Arrested For Killing Boda Boda Rider Over Ksh100 Levy
Many say this is linked to their stress. Dozens of police officers have died as a result of suicide or killed many in a trend that is attributed to stress at work.
As part of efforts to address the trend, police authorities have launched counselling services and the National Police Service Commission has established a unit and staffed it to attend to their demanding situation.
The counselling unit will, among other things, evaluate, design and lead an outreach programme that helps prevent mental health and substance abuse.
At least three suicide cases involving police officers are recorded every month. Officials say police are generally on the receiving end of all community problems.
They are expected to maintain law and order in very difficult situations, besides putting their lives at risk. Over the years, a spike in deaths in the service has been linked to trauma.
They include deaths by gun.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
