As the festive season and New Year celebrations draws closer the government has intensified security patrols across the coastal city of Mombasa and its environs.
Mombasa County Commissioner (CC) John Otieno asked residents and visitors to be alert during the festive season to avoid any mishaps even as the government scales up security measures across the region.
He called on hoteliers, proprietors of entertainment joints and shopping malls to ratchet up security checks on persons and vehicles during the festivities.
Otieno said the patrolling in public spaces will help monitor the beaches and look-out for anti-social elements and offer help in cases of emergencies.
He says police will cover areas targeted for opportunistic crimes particularly shopping centres and crowded areas.
Speaking to KNA in his office at Uhuru na Kazi building Otieno said uniformed and plain clothed police officers will take part in patrols in public spaces such as shopping malls, places of worship and beaches.
The CC who chairs the County Security and Intelligence Committee says although there was no information about any imminent threat to the peace, security agencies are not leaving anything to chance.
Otieno says during the festive seasons, Mombasa usually records a high influx of domestic and foreign tourists hence the need to beef up security.
The county chief has assured residents and tourists that the security agencies have put in place adequate measures to enable them to celebrate Christmas and New Year festivities without any hitches.
“We are going to enhance patrols across Mombasa and its environs especially places with a higher concentration of people such as markets, tourist hotspots, tourist hotels, public concerts, as well as airports and train stations,” he said adding that the measures were precautionary.
“The security patrols have a serious goal of reducing crime and improving safety for tourists and locals on the beachfronts,” he stressed.
He said police have provided extra security in and around the port city and urged Wananchi to be on the look-out for wrong elements within the society and report to the police for action.
He said neighborhood watch committees otherwise known as Nyumba Kumi initiative has been activated in all the six counties of the coastal city to help police combat crime.
Meanwhile, Otieno says they have formed multi-agency security team to crackdown on the criminal gangs that have been terrorizing residents in Kisauni and Likoni sub counties.
The administrator assured residents and visitors that the police will be conducting sweeping crackdowns to arrest criminals who are causing trouble.
“We are actually putting all notorious gangs on notice that their criminal activities and behaviours will not be tolerated,” said Otieno.
He added that a notorious gang leader who has been terrorizing residents in the sprawling Kisauni area has been arrested by the police and that security personnel are hunting down his accomplice who is on the run.
Otieno says police have launched crackdowns on the affected areas of Kisauni, Nyali and Likoni to flush out the gangs terrorizing residents.
By Mohamed Hassan
