SECURITY

The information on this page comes to you courtesy of Dr. Tom Dolan, Chairman of the Karen Security Trust, Security Personnel and residents keen to be of assistance. 

Security incidents

15 March - Ndege Road a gang entered a property in the middle of Ndege Road at about 3.00, the alarm was raised and the security provider responded. The back up patrol car with armed police was called. The police fired two warning shots and the gang disappeared.

17 March - Mbagathi Ridge towards Marula Lane a gang of six attacked the guest house at 1.30 breaking in the main door then the bedroom door and demanded money. The askaris from the main house heard the noise and came with a dog. The gang who were armed with pangas, axe and bolt cutters were disturbed by the askaris and left steaing only a mobile phone from a guest whom they injured slightly injured and also injuring slightlyone of the askaris. The gang disappeared fled towards the river at the end of Marula Lane by the time the security vehicle arrived.

The radio link between the private security companies was not activated by the security provider in this incident so that the patrol vehicle with armed police was not called. This back up vehicle had been called quickly in the Ndege Road incident.

Car jackings. There was an Update on 8 March warning about two car jackings in Karen on the 7 March. The driver who was shot is recovering and the police recovered a grey Toyota Corolla that was involved in the incidents in Angata Rongai the next day. Another car jacking was reported on the same night on Masai West Road at about 21.30. There are other reports of attempted carjackings, including one in which a car with five occupants stopped in front of a car waiting to enter Ngong Road from Windy Ridge. However, quick thinking by the driver avoided the car jack and he drove ‘with the other vehicle in hot pursuit’ to the police station. The response by the police was disappointing but at least the driver avoided the car jack.

Scam warning. 2 March at around 13:30 a light blue pickup and a motorcycle appeared at the gate of a house. The owner and his wife were at work and the housegirl was minding their two children. She did not let the ‘visitors’ through the gate but called the owner to say that these "power and lighting" people had come to disconnect the power due to non payment of the account. The owner instructed her to tell them to come back another time and called KP&L. He was informed that his accounts were in order and that no instruction had been given to disconnect the power. The registration of the vehicle was KAJ 107 S. The person the owner spoke to on 3211547 at KL&L was Atimo at ex 208 should you find yourself in a similar situation.

General.

a) There was conference last week under the Safer City for All; Crime Prevention and Urban Safety Strategy hosted by the City Council of Nairobi (CCN) and Ministry of Local Government and sponsored by UN-Habitat and UNDP. It was attended by representatives of many bodies including the Provincial Administration and Local Government, many residents associations, security organizations and providers, and donor agencies. Planners, development NGOs, Residents’ representatives, security consultants and many others spoke and discussed how the city and its environs can be made better and safer. The formation of a Metropolitan Police Force was announced and widely reported in the press, but issues such as better urban planning, better street lighting, community policing, fear, urban segregation, water, a recognition that services are a right and not a privilege were all raised, and criticism of the CCN was frequent and forceful. While such conferences may be seen by many as talk shops, there was a clear determination among many present that change, planning and investment are very urgently needed. This conference is part of an ongoing strategy that has been adopted by the CCN (from February 2005) and there is donor support behind it.

b) What planning have you done in case you have an incident such as those described above at your home? Do you have good security organization, planning and structures, are your security bars strong, your lights working, does your askari check the perimeter fence at night and in the morning, have you an arrangement with your immediate neighbours to alert each other if you have a problem, do you have each others mobile/landline numbers, do you have a siren, will your neighbour call their security provider if you raise the alarm, are your staff reliable (inside information given casually or under duress is a very common factor in determining what property is selected for attack), do you have a safe haven? These are all issues, questions and recommendations that have been raised and repeated, how well protected are you? Check yourself out?

c) Following the two attacks described above we reviewed the link between the police in the provision of armed officers and the private security vehicle that patrols with them. This has been working consistently and effectively and is seen an important contributor to the relatively low crime rate over the last months as it is widely known that these patrols take place each night.

KST 20 mar 06

Personal security is of great concern to all residents of Karengata. Two security trusts were established a few years ago, one for Langata
and one for Karen. The trusts are based on the ‘neighbourhood watch’ concept with wardens appointed for each road or area.Through these
trusts residents have greater awareness of local dangers and preventive measures that they can take both individually and jointly.

The trusts are also in regular contact with the police and with the private security companies to make known residents’ concerns and to obtain information on current security problems. This has led to recent improvements in policing.

The trusts are separate entities to KLDA, but since 2004 the chairman of the Karen Trust, Tom SECURITY & THE KLDA Dolan, has been a member of the KLDA committee. This has increased cooperation between us, and KLDA members benefit by receiving the Karen Trust’s regular security bulletins. In 2004 members agreed to provide financial support to the trusts.

At the moment the Karen Trust is very active but the Langata Trust, after an excellent start that included upgrading Hardy Police Station, is now much less energetic. Given the lack of official resources it is essential that residents throughout the area are vigilant about security, and that KLDA and the security trusts provide ways in which we can ensure the safety of our community.

The Police are under funded and under equipped to provide adequate or rapid responses in many cases, although a new strategy has been developed and the senior officers at both Hardy and Karen are committed and helpful.

Responsibility falls more heavily on residents to provide security for themselves. Some of this is provided by the installation of burglarproofing, lights and alarm systems, guards and dogs and through Private Security companies and mobile call-out services. However, by knowing and linking with those in your immediate neighbourhood you can greatly increase your local security.

Neighbourhood Watch systems have been very successful in reducing crime in many countries and, in places where the Neighbourhood Watch involves 60% of the residents, there has been a reduction in the number of robberies of up to 80% in some examples.

The Neighbourhood Watch system that the Trusts are building is based on relatively small units, sometimes estates that are well defined, roads or streets that are broken into groups of households, possibly those on a lane or located close together. It works upwards from individual residents who have taken good common sense precautions, to links between residents of a defined area that are bound by a much greater sense of awareness of the local security situation. Each Neighbourhood Watch is coordinated by a Warden, a volunteer or selected person who is willing to make contact with the residents and maintain a flow of advice and information that comes through the Trusts. The role of a Warden is to pass on advice on the practical security measures and raise awareness that will help to prevent crime. A group of households agree the responses to make in the event of an attempted break-in at any one house and the recent experiences of the thieves leaving as soon as the alarms were raise by neighbouring houses indicates how effect communication between houses can be.

The warden is a resident in the area he or she covers and is a volunteer. a) He or she will attempt to establish contact with all the residents (all houses and guesthouses) by visiting them or dropping off a message explaining what you are doing, making contact and obtaining contact phone, email, postal address and details of plot number, security number, private security provider and askaris (watchmen). Some wardens have collected much more detailed information such as numbers and identities of house residents and staff, vehicles owned and registration numbers but many residents are unhappy about providing this additional information and it is beyond the current database needs. Maps are also being constructed that will identify each property for use by security companies and the police and make security responses more rapid.

Once the warden has established contact with a reasonable proportion of the Residents it is recommended that he or she calls a meeting (a short meeting in the evening at someone’s house for a general introduction and establish the security relationship) to establish the Neighbourhood Watch. The Warden then assists each group of residents, those on a lane or four or five houses that are close together, to establish contact, exchange telephone numbers, introduce their staff to each other, explain the security issues, review their individual security arrangements and agreed how to respond in the event of an incident. The warden may request someone to act as a sub warden, if the area is very large or contains many houses. The warden also circulates information on security issues including those that are gathered in their immediate area and messages such as the Security Updates circulated by the Trust. Email is ideal for this form of communication but not every house has it and although printing out message and delivering them by hand is tedious, it is being done.

Have you a plan with your immediate neighbours if you have an incident?

Are your security lights working?

Do you have a security back-up company and is the alarm working?

Is your safe haven secure, do you have a working mobile phone with appropriate numbers in your safe haven?

Who will you call?

Your neighbour?  Your security provider?  Your Warden?

POLICE STATION NUMBERS