Security officials, locals’ forum helps tame crime

Residents of Garissa, security personnel and other partners in the sector have lauded community engagement forums which they say have played a key role in addressing insecurity.

Garissa town and its environs had a few months ago witnessed increased insecurity. Cases of women being robbed in the wee hours while going to the market and while going back home were the order the day.

The muggings caused panic among residents who now opt to close their businesses early. Cases of youth being smuggled to Libya were also on the rise prompting stakeholders to come together to activate community policing.

Speaking in Iftin ward during a community engagement forum organised by the International Organization for Migration, Rukia Mohamed, focal person for the Garissa county peace movement, said the initiative has greatly helped in addressing the challenges.

“Not long ago, a day would hardly pass without hearing of people being killed, robbed, shops broken into and others stabbed by knife wielding criminals while going about their work,” she said.

“But since we came together and activated the community engagement forums through community policing these cases are no longer there. Residents are now willing to give information of criminals to the security personnel who always act swiftly.”

Mohamed said unlike before when some parents and guardians hid their children known to be criminals, the situation has changed and they are now the ones reporting them to the police who then arrest them.

She further said cases of people being trafficked to Libya, South Sudan and Juba have reduced following the security meetings with the parents and the youth.

“The traffickers were enticing our unsuspecting youth with lucrative jobs in those countries only for them to be turned into slaves. But when we told them the true situation out there and how their children were being mistreated and forced to engage in ungodly acts, not a single case has been reported in the last three months,” she said.

“Some parents are selling their land, cars or other properties to send their children abroad through illegal means. Their children are then captured and tortured for ransom. When the kidnappers ask for money to release the youth, there is a lot of problem because already, parents had sold everything.”

Iftin East location senior chief Dekow Ahmed also lauded the community engagements saying they have helped in taming insecurity as well as led to a reduction of human trafficking cases.

Ahmed said the government has now eased the process of getting the legal travel documents, including the national ID cards and passports and that people should follow the right way when travelling abroad.