Intelligence failures fuel insecurity

Kenya: About 800,000 Kenyans become victims of organised crime every year, a new report has revealed.

The report released by Usalama Reforms Forum in Nairobi yesterday further shows that there are 120 organised criminal groups and 7,000 criminals operating in the country.

The report also reveals that crime has increased almost 30 times its level per 100,000 of population than in 1963, with more than 136 terror attacks in the country with numerous deaths and casualties since October 2011.

"Since 2008, total reported crime has increased from 245,808 to 432,394 crimes a year by December last year, an increase of approximately 75 per cent," the report partly reads.

This would differ with the National Police Service (NPS) Annual Crime Report which is largely based on reported crime detection framework rather than reported crimes outcome framework. However, Police Spokeswoman Gatitia Mboroki said they are yet to compile their crime data.

"We are the official agency that is supposed to gather such data and release to the public," said Mboroki.

And according to Usalama security expert Charles Otieno, NPS lacks a model for data analysis and crime intelligence process that could facilitate serious and organised crime reduction.

"NPS has no active intelligence system to process information with determination for action. The rise in crime and insecurity has been due to intelligence failures of prediction," said Mr Otieno.

He also said divergent opinions with regard to security handling among police officers create loopholes in the fight against insecurity.

"Administration Police Officers, regular police, the National Intelligence Service and other officers in the service don't have a common understanding on how to deal with insecurity," he said.

Sensational media

He added: "There is no national policing programme to enable the police to use the existing resources to bring down crime. Trust and confidence in our security organs particularly the police have been very poor due to lack of proper engagement between the police and the public."

He also said weak legal provisions for tackling security threats, insensitive and sensational media, failure of security agencies to contain and prevent recurring terrorist attacks, porous borders, corruption and poor governance and general poverty and socio-economic conditions are to blame for the rising security threat in the country.