Nairobi, Nairobbery and the post-CCTV era

It now seems that despite advances in technology, robbers have resorted to crude means to protect their identities. A report in today's Daily Nation says that bank robbers have been dismantling CCTV cameras before cleaning up the safes of banks they raid. (See Nation report)That means that the CCTV cameras are not as useful as once thought. Unless a quick solution is found to this growing menace, an increasing sense of helplessness will envelope us Kenyans as we watch these thugs unleash even more terror with the full knowledge that they have erased all the footage that would have identified and incriminated them.

Also worrying is that millions have been lost to robbers in recent days. They seem to have beaten every trap meant for them and every attempt at arresting them. There is a need for stronger police intelligence and surveillance if this current crime wave is to be nipped in the bud. The police are doing a great job in the capital with more visible patrols and more officers on the beat. The robbers and crime doyens who mastermind their work seem hellbent to stay one step ahead. Their methods may be crude but they seem to be working nonetheless.

However, security on Nairobi's streets has improved greatly and there are fewer muggings and carjackings today than in the past few years. I see more people using their mobile phones on Tom Mboya street than I used to see before. Cops are better equipped and they have vehicles and fuel at their disposal 24-7. How they'll tackle this new menace of guys dismantling CCTV's before embarking on criminal acts will be interesting to watch. I guess the CCTV systems have to be placed in safer positions, far from the foul fingers of criminals.