Community Policing and Crime Management within Nairobi City County Police Command, Kenya

Abstract

Security being key to the realization of the goals of vision 2030 as well as the presidential Big Four Agenda, there is a need to understand and explore how citizen participation through various forums such as community policing, third party policing and the famous Nyumba Kumi Initiative are key on crime management. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of community policing on crime management within Nairobi County Police Command, Kenya. This study was informed by four specific objectives, namely; to evaluate the effect of joint problem identification on crime management, to assess the effect of joint problem solving on crime management, to analyze the effect of joint communication on crime management and to assess the effect of joint partnerships on crime management in Nairobi County. The study was guided by systems theory and contingency theory. This study was informed by descriptive survey research design. The target population for this study was both senior and junior officers adding up to 7204. Using Yamane formula, the sample size of the study was 377 respondents. The study adopted questionnaires as the research instrument for data collection. Data collected from the field were analyzed through by quantitative data analysis (inferential and descriptive statistics). The proposed study seeks to utilize Multiple Linear Regression Model (MLRM). The findings of the study indicated that there is a positive relationship between; Joint Problem Identification and crime management in Nairobi County, Joint Problem Solving and crime management in Nairobi County, Joint Communication and crime management in Nairobi County, Joint Partnerships and crime management in Nairobi County are factors determining uptake of community policing approaches within the NPS. The study draws the inference that community policing approaches has a significant implication on crime management within the NPS. Moreover, the study has also drawn an inference that adequate scholarly work on community policing is not readily available to officers, public and this could have great ramifications amongst the stakeholders. Based on the findings of the study, the study recommends that there is need for more funding; forums on community policing; need for more police posts; and the need of accessible police posts in as far as community policing partnership is concerned in order to acquire long-term community partnership in crime management in Kenya. Moreover, the County government and the national government need to promulgate policy which seeks to better how the two tiers of government interact in regard to adopting of community policing in crime management. This study also recommends that there is a need of creating awareness on community policing through carrying out a massive session on civic edition through the electronic media and local print, seminars and public barazas on the significance of community policing on crime management