With low earnings, many citizens have resorted to robbery as an activity to earn them a living. In the recent past, theft cases caught on CCTV cameras have been on the rise in most Urban areas in Kenya. Some of these incidents have been cracked down and the perpetrators brought to face the law while others remain unsolved due to one reason or another. What are these reasons? How have we improved as a nation to ensure that CCTVs work to our advantage to promote a secure environment to run our businesses?

Technology And Crimes: Challenges in Curbing Robbery using CCTV cameras in Kenya.

Jabes Ojwang

With tightened cost of living, many unemployed youths find it more convenient to indulge in theft and organised crimes as ways for survival. The cost of living has risen since the Kenya Kwanza government usurped power after winning the 2022 general elections. Some of these cases have been caught by CCTV cameras on broad daylight while others at night. Activities ranges from snatching of handbags to breaking into shops. Recently, a viral robbery incident  was captured on a cctv camera along Ngong Road. A man violently robbing a foreigner of her sling bag  before escaping on a motorcycle.

The police in diligence have ensured that the recorded CCTV footages are utilised in tracing these crime suspects. However, this may not be easy as it is! Some of the hurdles faced by the tracking teams in retrieval of data from CCTV cameras include:  a) .Quality and Clarity of Footage- some footages are recorded in low resolution and poor lighting environments which makes face recognition a challenge. Therefore, without facial recognition it is difficult to identify the suspects.

b) Access to CCTV Systems- The CCTV cameras maybe located in private entities which may pose a challenge in accessing them. The police have to liase with the occupiers to allow them access the footages.

c) Time constraints - information recorded by CCTV camera is always overwritten after a period of time. The police must therefore ensure that the investigations are Carried out in time and data is retrieved before it is lost.

d) Privacy Issues- some of the entities possessing these cameras may not be willing to grant the police permission to retrieve necessary information due to fear of breaching their privacy. Privacy matters a lot and to protect our reputation, we need to protect our privacy by all means

Share - Technology And Crimes: Challenges in Curbing Robbery using CCTV cameras in Kenya.