Violent criminal incidents are on the rise in Karenni State due to easy access to weapons, which is a challenge for the Karenni State Police (KSP) Department.

Ko Bo Bo, a KSP press officer said: “Since we are a newly established organisation, we still don't have all the manpower and weaponry that we need. If the suspects we are apprehending are carrying certain types of weapons, we need to be very cautious. There is a possibility that we could face danger from them. Currently, during this revolutionary period when everyone is armed and fighting, some individuals are exploiting the situation and using weapons inappropriately.”

Currently, there are at least five armed groups operating in Karenni State. They include the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) and people’s defence forces (PDFs). Most of these armed groups consist of local civilians.

The KSP was set up on 25 August 2021, to oppose authoritarian systems and provide centralised, federal-based law enforcement. It was founded by the Karenni State Consultative Council (KSCC), which was set up to run administrations in revolutionary-held areas of Karenni State.

The KSCC was formed on 9 April by Karenni State MPs elected in the 2020 election, political parties, ethnic armed organisations (EAOs), civil society organisations (CSOs), women’s organisations, youth organisations, and strike committees from Karenni State. It was formed to work with the Karenni people to “manage the interim state-level legislative, lawmaking, executive, administration, and judicial governance during the interim period to a federal democratic state, which includes restoring self-determination, protecting and promoting the traditions and cultures of ethnic groups in Karenni State,” for the peaceful development of the state.

According to Ko Bo Bo, even though the KSP has, in the last three years, set up 14 police stations, 13 security outposts, and five district police offices in revolutionary-controlled areas of Karenni State it still has insufficient personnel to provide effective law enforcement.

He said: “According to the actual situation in our state, KSP needs at least 1,000 personnel. However, we currently have just over 500.”

He also said that armed groups in the state have to be properly regulated and a suitable firearms law needs to be implemented to prevent civilians from obtaining firearms. To achieve this it will be necessary to obtain the cooperation of armed groups to collaborate with the KSP.

Over the past three years, KSP has handled 520 cases, with drug-related offenses being the most common. On 24 August 2024, during a ceremony to celebrate its 3rd anniversary, the KSP publicly destroyed over 70,000 items of confiscated drugs.