Worrying Rise In Insecurity Within Ngong Oloolua and Kiserian and How To Minimise The Crime Profile Threat

Introduction

The recent heinous murder of a senior Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) editor while accessing her residence in Oloolua area, Kajiado County, at around 8:30 PM has raised concerns about the rising cases of robbery with violence, carjacking, murders and dumping of dead bodies in the fringes of Ngong, Oloolua and Kiserian townships. This came not long after another brutal murder of a National Land Commission officer, and her body was discovered by herders at the Ngong Forest.

 Despite there being a genuine concern about the security situation in these areas, the proximity of these areas to the capital city, Nairobi, has seen exponential growth as more and more people migrate to build their homes or reside in the mushrooming residential areas. 

Safety and Security as a Basic Need

Every person would like to provide their loved ones with a sense of security, peace and serenity. We all love peace of mind and it is a fact that security is one of the basic needs of humankind. Accordingly, safety and security are the core functions for the other basic needs like physiological needs that are concerned with provision and availability of food, shelter and clothing, social needs concerned with interaction, networking and relationship building, esteem dealing with appreciation, recognition and participation in decision-making and self-actualization.

The serene and beautiful environment of Ngong, Oloolua, Kiserian and their environs are ideal to provide just that as long as the safety and security function is taken care of and insecurity is arrested. Certainly, the residents’ security should not be taken lightly. Three quick solutions that can be applied to manage this include:-

     i.           Public-Private Partnership in Curbing Crime  

The national government has tried to put in place security measures to address the safety and security needs of the residents and to maintain law and order by establishing county administration and law enforcement stations in the major towns. However, this is not adequate and requires the support of the private security service providers and the community.

This is possible through a Community Based Policing (CBP) program where all stakeholders (Law Enforcement Agencies, the private security and the residents) take collaborative and participatory action to better secure their neighbourhood and enhance local security and safety. Primarily, this strategy is an initiative of the police. By enhancing interaction between the police, the private security providers and the community members will ensure any suspicious activities are reported, information and intelligence are shared freely and a camaraderie atmosphere is maintained.

Keeping in line with this, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has initiated a Call DCI Toll-Free number 0800 722 203, commonly referred to as Fichua Kwa DCI, to assist citizens anonymously speak up about crime. In a community that sometimes fears retribution when they openly speak up or point to suspicious activities or suspects, this has come in handy.

     2.           Neighbourhood Watch Group

This is a formal voluntary crime prevention strategy that is an initiative of the residents themselves out of the knowledge that safety and security is a collective responsibility. Residential security which includes vigilance, monitoring and surveillance of premises has been known to prevent or reduce cases of intrusion, break-ins and burglaries.

When people come together regularly to discuss their safety and security needs, they are bound to identify potential hazards and security risks quickly. Around Ngong area, several gated communities and neighbourhood have formed Neighbourhood Watch Groups which have increased their protection levels. However, a far larger group of residents have not embraced or have not been introduced to this easy and cost-effective strategy.

A security focal point (SFP), not necessarily a person with a security background, should be appointed to lead the formulation of a security policy, plan, procedures and guidelines, and best practice that will guide members.

Indeed, residents should come together and volunteer to take action in order to reduce crime within their neighbourhood. This can be with or without collaboration with law enforcement or any other third party.

     3.           Enhancing Physical Security

Lastly, but most important the physical security for individual residential premises which will translate to the safety and security strategy of the whole neighbourhood should be given first priority in order to minimise intrusion and crime.

Applying the protection concept of 3P’s – People, Procedures and Physical Protection Systems (PPS), policies, procedures and guidelines, the neighbourhood, perimeter fencing, CCTV Surveillance Systems, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), lighting, manned guarding and Quick Response Teams (QRT) should be considered.

A security policy which is a basic principle that outlines what security best practice the residents need should act as the guide to prepare the security procedures which are a set of steps to be followed to ensure security situations are addressed. For ease of enforcement and compliance, security awareness is important for the residents.

A Security Risk Assessment (SRA) for the premises at inception and making it a periodical exercise will go a long way in understanding the neighbourhood and neighbours, any black and blind spot, and identify any security vulnerabilities that may be around. Apart from analysing the neighbourhood crime threat profile, this will also provide an opportunity to assess the validity and reliability of the Physical Protection Systems (PPS) put in place.

Manned guarding will provide visibility and hence deterrence, early detection and response to any suspicious activities. However, in a meeting between residents of a neighbourhood watch group and representatives of Buffalo Security Services based in Ngong Town, it was apparent that residents do not trust most of the security guards deployed in residential premises. They accuse them of colluding with criminals and or taking part in the criminal acts themselves. This can only be solved by contracting security guards from trustworthy and reputable security service providers who perform background checks, vetting, training and refresher training for the guards. 

Conclusion                                                                                                                        

Despite the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic and resultant harsh economic times tending to contribute to the dire security situation, it is not time to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD). Instead, a proactive risk-based approach involving all or part of security procedures, security systems and technology, on-site physical protection and manned that is all-inclusive should be adopted. Information sharing and cooperation between law enforcement, private security service providers and the community in a transparent and open manner will go a long way in improving home security and reducing fear of crime in our neighbourhood.

For help or advice with residential security, don’t hesitate to give our team of experts a call on 0723 675 535/ 0794 455 605/ 0705 554 810 or [email protected]