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Security has been intensified across Mombasa county ahead of the festive season and New Year celebrations.

Mombasa County Police Commander Stephen Matu (above) says:  “We have scaled up security across the coastal city. We are also working closely with various stakeholders, among them the tourism industry, to avoid mishaps due to a high influx of domestic and foreign tourists”.

 The county boss further asked area residents and visitors to be alert and remain vigilant. He further called on hoteliers, proprietors of entertainment joints and shopping malls to enhance security checks.

 “We have a multi-agency team that will be in charge of patrols in public spaces, monitor the beaches and look out for anti-social elements. We further call on hoteliers to work closely with the multi-agency team in terms of discharging security services”, he said.

 “Both uniformed and plain-clothed police officers will patrol shopping centres, malls and other public places”, he said.

He added that security agencies are not leaving anything to chance.

“We assure both locals and tourists that measures have been put in place to enable them to celebrate Christmas and New Year without hitches”, he said.

Other areas where security has been intensified are markets, tourist spots, hotels, public concerts, as well as airports and train stations. Additionally, Matu said a multi-agency security team would crack down on gangs that have been terrorizing residents of Kisauni and Likoni sub-counties.

Security crackdowns

“Even as we beef up security in the entire county, our focus is in those two areas. We have begun conducting crackdowns on criminal elements that have been terrorizing residents,” he noted.

 Matu added that traffic marshals from the county government would be working alongside police officers from the traffic department and those from general duties to manage traffic.

“To ensure smooth flow of traffic due to the increased numbers of visitors in the county, we will deploy officers from general duties to assist in traffic management,” he said.