Managerial Practices Influencing Integration of Information Communication Technology in in-service Programmes at Police Training Institutions in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of administrators of police training institutions managerial practices on integration of Information Communication Technology (ICT) into in-service programmes in Kenya. The study specifically examined the involvement of police officers by the college commandants in the formulation of ICT policies, influence of instructional supervision on the integrations of ICT in-service training, involvement of police officers in the development of in-service programmes and finally the provision of ICT infrastructure by college commandant to integrate ICT in in-service police training. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design, study respondents were sampled the respondents from a population of college administrators, instructors and trainees from Kenya Police Training College Kiganjo, General Service Unit Training School and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations Training School. The study targeted a combined population of 885 comprising of 426 from Kenya Police College-Kiganjo, 326 from General Service Unit training school and 133 from Directorate of Criminal Investigations. The respondents comprised of administrators, instructors and trainees of the sampled police training institutions. Slovin’s formula was used to determine sample sizes of instructors and trainees giving a combined sample size of 403 subjects. In addition purposive sampling method was used to select threes college administrators as key informants from each of the three training intuitions. Primary data was collected from nine college administrators who were purposively sampled and 403 instructors and trainees, selected randomly from the three police training institutions. Primary data from instructors and trainees were collected using questionnaires while an interview schedule was used to collect data from the three college administrators. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively using frequencies while qualitative data was analysed through data reduction, data discussion and drawing conclusions. Chi Square was used to test hypothesis to test the significance relationship of ICT proficiency among the police officers and police training schools. The findings on the contribution of involvement of instructors and trainees in the formulation of ICT policies, instructional supervision, development of in-service training programmes and provision of ICT infrastructure on integration of ICT in police in-service training contributed very little to ICT integration. The study recommends that police training colleges be made semi-autonomous in order to provide the administrators with the leeway to make managerial decisions freely. The findings were significant to the National Police Service, the Ministry of Interior and National Police Service and all stakeholders in the development of policies that will ensure that ICT is integrated into police in-service training. The study concludes that the management of police training institutions have not influenced to a large extent the involvement of the police officers on ICT policy formulation, formulation of inservice programmes and supervision of ICT instruction. Also the provision of ICT infrastructure has not to a large extent contributed to ICT integration in police inservice training.