Mugshots ban: DCI protests court order on Facebook, Twitter posts
The Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) has expressed its contempt to the Judiciary after a High Court issued conservatory orders barring it from posting mugshots of suspects on social media.
In a series of tweets, DCI said the orders were discriminatory since media stations use both print and electronic platforms to convey the same.
It added that the mugshots can help find suspects and serve to warn members of the public of dangerous thugs in their midst.
The DCI is mandated to protect the members of the public by detecting and preventing commission of crime hence there is a good reason to share some mugshots with them. 5/11
— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) May 6, 2019
DCI argued that criminal profiling is an important investigative tool used by law enforcement agencies in the world to identify likely suspects and predict the identified offenders’ future actions.
In said the routine and systematic disclosures have led to reductions of organized crimes and members of the public who have been victims of crime coming forward to give information to the Police.
“As prescribed under the National Police Service Act of 2011, the DCI is perfectly within the Law to continue taking booking photographs of suspects which is in line with international best practices,” said the DCI.
from doing so. Currently, the Police photographs (mug shots) provide a means of recording and detection in tune with emerging modern methods of Policing. They supplement the practice of description with a technical aid. 3/11
— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) May 6, 2019
In December, the High Court barred the DCI and the Inspector-General of Police from publishing on social media photos of suspects who are yet to be arraigned over various criminal allegations.
Justice Wilfrida Okwany issued the temporary directive in a case in which a city resident protested the publishing of suspects’photographs on Facebook and Twitter.