Page 1 of 11
Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 8, No. 10
Publication Date: October 25, 2021
DOI:10.14738/assrj.810.10889. Kiunga, N., Mwangi, S. W., & Bor, E. (2021). Influence of the Performance of National Police Service in Prevention of Organized
Crimes in Mombasa County, Kenya. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(10). 321-331.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Influence of the Performance of National Police Service in
Prevention of Organized Crimes in Mombasa County, Kenya
Nickson Kiunga
Department of Peace Security and Social Sciences
Egerton University, Kenya
Samson Wokabi Mwangi
Department of Peace Security and Social Sciences
Egerton University, Kenya
Erick Bor
Department of Peace Security and Social Sciences
Egerton University, Kenya
ABSTRACT
This paper uses data collected for an MA Thesis on influence of the Performance of
National Police Service in Prevention of organized Crimes in Mombasa County,
Kenya. The study was necessitated by continued rise of criminal gangs despite
police service efforts to contain the problem. The study was guided by three specific
objectives, but for this paper first and second objectives will be discussed. First, the
examined the influence of resource capacity on the performance of national police
service in prevention of organized crimes in Mombasa County. Secondly, the study
examined the influence of motivation on the performance of national police service
in prevention of organized crimes. Thirdly, the last objective assessed the influence
of external environment on the performance of National Police Service in
prevention of organized crimes in Mombasa County, Kenya. The survey utilized
Expectancy theory and Crime Pattern Theory and adopted a descriptive research
design employing a mixed method paradigm. The study sample size comprised 306
National Police Service officers (NPS); Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI)
officers, Kenya Police service (KP), and Administration Police (AP) officers both
senior and junior. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis derived
from the study objectives. On the other hand, quantitative data was analyzed
through descriptive statistics. According to the findings, 17% of the police officers
still undertake operations without intelligence briefing, and that despite the
availability of criminal intelligence. Besides, access to criminal intelligence was still
a major challenge to 45% of the officers while inter-agency coordination was a rare
part of the fight against organized crime to 56% of the officers who were not
involved. The findings also revealed that despite the importance of training towards
the prevention of organized crime, 33% of police officers did not have access to
these trainings. Furthermore, 53% of the officers, cited lack of recognition and
motivation that could go a long way in raising performance of the police officers.
The study makes two major recommendations; special attention to training and
curriculum review that addresses the demands of emerging global security
challenges. Secondly, officer’s welfare remains a thorny issue which can potentially
Page 2 of 11
322
Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 8, Issue 10, October-2021
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
stifle any crime prevention initiative. Welfare issues of concern such as merit and
fairness in promotions, rewards and other incentives, and better compensation
were said to be an integral part of any serious police reform agenda.
INTRODUCTION
According to Moore and Braga (2003), general police performance is generally considered the
method used by the police to promote direct or indirect contact with non-police persons in
public areas. In practice, this means a regular activity that takes place at a certain stage of the
police movement.
Prevention of criminal activities in the world is facing many demanding situations as criminals
broaden and invent new ways to go against the law (Sherman, Gottfredson, MacKenzie, Eck,
Reuter, & Bushway, 2018). To prevent and deter crime, law enforcers and social scientists must
come up with new policing concepts or models to mitigate the need for policing in the present
(Smith, 2017). The changing nature of societies and the changing characteristics of crime and
violence affecting these societies require advanced policing strategies. Security mechanisms
that worked in the past may not be drawn correctly today. Therefore, the level and nature of
the constantly changing society and individuals require the police to find simpler crime
prevention and deterrence techniques (Crowe, 2018). Globally the top ranked countries with
the best police services as per the World Internal Security and Police Index (WISPI, 2017)
include: Singapore, Finland, Denmark and Austria. This is attributed to high quality training of
police officers, availability of adequate modern equipment and working tools, and good
remuneration and reward mechanism. On the other realm, Africa’s best police force is that of
Botswana, while the police force in Nigeria is ranked the worst. Kenya police service is ranked
the third worst police force in the world. Kenya’s low ranking is attributed to police officers
using excessive force and relating poorly with the public (Susan et al., 2012).
Modern organized crime is normally understood to have started in Italy within the overdue
19th Century. The mysterious Sicilian organization Los Cosa Nostra, with the exception of the
various Sicilian mafias, was still very effective at the beginning of the 20th century. As early as
1924, Benito Mussolini began the repression of the Italian mafia. From the 1920s to the present,
prepared crimes have been organized within ethnic companies or within the entire ethnic
tension (Phillips, 2018). In 1970, America passed the Organized Crime Management Act, and its
motivation was to eliminate prepared crimes by increasing law enforcement evidence- gathering techniques, stipulating the confiscation of property owned by criminal companies,
and increasing crime rates.
According to the WHO (2015), “crime prevention strategies are no longer effective in saving
crime and victimization, but they also promote the protection of the Internet and contribute to
the sustainable development of the country. Strong and responsible Crime prevention
complements the life satisfaction of all residents. It has long-term benefits in reducing
allegations related to formal criminal justice mechanisms and other social costs caused by
crime.”
WHO (2015) stated that crime and violence prevention involves a careful examination of
opportunities and protective factors. Based on the evolving evidence base, WHO and its
partners have identified seven key strategies to help prevent crime and violence. Improve safe,
Page 3 of 11
323
Kiunga, N., Mwangi, S. W., & Bor, E. (2021). Influence of the Performance of National Police Service in Prevention of Organized Crimes in Mombasa
County, Kenya. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(10). 321-331.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.810.10889
strong and beneficial relationships between children and their parents and / or caregivers.
Expand the lifestyle capabilities of children and adolescents. Reduce the supply and harmful
use of alcohol. Reduce exposure to guns and knives. Promote gender equality, avoid violence
against women and alternative cultures and social norms that support violence.
Crime prevention has become an increasingly important part of most national public safety
strategies. In countries where victimization and crime are driven by most potential and
accidental factors, the concept of prevention is stronger (Crowe, 2018). These are the result of
a broader range of environments and factors that affect the lives of families and individuals as
they grow older, as well as the local environment and the opportunities and circumstances that
promote crime and victimization.
Determining which factors are related to various types of criminal activity can lead to the
development of a plan or strategy to change these specific underlying factors and reduce or
prevent criminal incidents (Clark, 2017). These accidental or potential factors are generally
called risk factors. They involve global trends and changes that affect the economic and social
conditions of countries and regions; factors that affect the local environment and individual
countries and communities; those related to family and intimate relationships, and those that
affect people (Angel, 2016).
Security agencies have become rigid companies that fight criminal activities that take
advantage of globalization, asymmetric warfare, and their lack of ethics or ethical regulations.
This “actual burden” has led to restrictions on the country’s individual territory and
jurisdiction, which has so far hindered institutional response and provided greater advantages
for organized crime (Blau, 2016). According to this descriptive framework, they want to solve
increasingly modern forms of crime and must inspire stronger commitments closer to
specialization and diversification (Bauman, 2011). In turn, this kind of specialization inevitably
requires overcoming the traditional and certainly insufficient paradigm, but choosing a
revolutionary response that must be horizontal and comprehensive (Phillips, 2018). With the
increasing complexity of police roles and the development of community policing, the nature of
policing and police organization has become more complex, and the importance of hiring and
keeping up with qualified personnel has become more complicated (Roberg & Kuykendall,
1997). According to Goldstein (1977), maintaining law and order is no longer an “easy enough
task”. On the contrary, the role of the police in today's democratic society is extremely large and
complex (Carter & Sapp, 1990).
In Kenya, the security sector is given the duty of maintaining law and order, thus maintaining
peace within society. In general terms, it is executed by protection personnel; one of the first
issues is law enforcement. Some other key functions are offering security during currencies
transiting, which has always been a big challenge in the state of affairs in Kenya. Protection in
the form of protecting business premises and residential areas is any other key feature. The
police also inspected the roads in order to check the speed of cars and to enforce traffic laws.
This appears to have been abused, as can be seen from the increase in road accidents, abuse of
traffic rules and blackmail by illegal gangs (Kiraithe, 2011).
Ndungu (2011) stated that despite ongoing reforms, the corruption index of the Kenya National
Police Service (NPS) is still too high. Public skepticism of police performance is low, and some