Assessing the influence of Police crime Management strategies on crime reduction within major bus termini in Kenya: a case of Machakos Country bus terminus, Nairobi County

Abstract

There is limited information available as to the extent of crime and disorder on public transport. Furthermore, discrepancies exist as to the actual levels of crime and disorder on public transport. The most likely reasons for this include the following: the multiple agencies responsible for maintaining and operating the various systems, the lack of standardized reporting and recording of crime and disorder on public transport, difficulties in analyzing the available data, and the different policing and security arrangements in place across the network, and the likely levels of underreporting on the system. The case study sought to assess the influence of police crime management strategies on crime reduction within Machakos Country Bus terminus in Nairobi County, Kenya. It was guided by four specific objectives; to assess the influence of crime prevention strategies on crime reduction within the major bus termini, to investigate the influence of crime detection strategies on crime reduction within major bus terminus, to identify the crime deterrence strategies on crime reduction within the bus terminus and to explore crime reporting strategies on crime reduction within the major bus terminus. The study was grounded on the Routine Activity and Broken Windows theories. The study adopted the descriptive research design to guide the study. The sampling technique adopted was stratified random sampling and purposive sampling technique. The data collection strategy was both quantitative and qualitative. Both questionnaires and key informant interviews were administered. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics while the qualitative data was presented in prose as obtained from the field exercise. The study observed that emphasis on personal security is utilized by the police officers to prevent criminal activities within Machakos Bus terminus. In relation to response on surveillance on crime reduction, the study reported that majority of the respondents strongly agreed that surveillance crime prevention techniques significantly influence crime reduction within Machakos Bus terminus. The study noted that majority of the respondents cited that they always receive crime reported from the members of the public on a number of times. The study recommends promotion of holistic crime prevention approaches being implemented in conjunction with law enforcement, community members, the civil society and private sector. The National police service should continuously invest in policing modern technology and as well as be more proactive and avoid traditional crime management approach. The study recommends that the law enforcement agents require modern resources and equipment which match the emerging crime trends if they are to stand a vantage position in crime reduction. In addition, the use of CCTV adjacent to the terminus should be encouraged. Finally, public transport infrastructure should be designed to prevent criminal activities including providing improved illumination and lighting in corners and hiding places.