Drug usage tops among crimes and offences in the country, according to a study by the National Crime Research Centre (NCRC).

In preliminary findings and recommendations of the 2022 national crime mapping, use of narcotic drugs/ psychotropic substances takes the lead at 60 per cent followed by house breakings (56.2 per cent) and petty theft (50.1 per cent) in prevalence as the most perceived crimes.

In the report prepared by Dickson Gitonga and Gladys Soi of NCRC, robbery with violence (38.6 per cent) and burglary (38.6 per cent) were reported by most of the respondents as crimes committed within their areas.

“Crimes that were mostly witnessed by the respondents were usage of illicit drugs (43.5 per cent), house breakings (30.1 per cent), petty theft (24.4 per cent), stealing from persons (22.8 per cent), theft of stock (including cattle rustling) which was at (20.7 per cent) and robbery with violence,” reads the study.

The study also sought to understand what the respondents felt as the most threatening crime in the last twelve months within their locality and the findings indicated that robbery with violence (16.2 per cent), house breaking (15.4 per cent), usage of narcotic drug and psychotropic substances (11.0 per cent) were the most threatening crimes.

The report also shows that youths are perceived as perpetrators of crime (91.1 per cent) and males (50.8 per cent). It also emerged that females (13.2 per cent) especially in intimate relationships do perpetrate crimes.

The study established that a significant majority of the respondents identified vulnerability occasioned by unemployment at 81.0 per cent, availability of alcohol, illicit drugs and substance abuse (69.9 per cent), idleness (63.5 per cent), and vulnerability occasioned by poverty at 52.6 per cent.

Prevention measures

The research came up with recommendations on crime prevention measures and strategies in which the majority identified Nyumba-Kumi and/or community policing (77.2 per cent).

Other measures mentioned were regular police patrols, timely reporting, arrest, prosecution & sentencing of the offender as the measures in place to curb criminal activities.

Key policy recommendations indicated the need for establishment of economic empowerment programs to vulnerable members of society given that the most prevalent factors to crime causation was vulnerability occasioned by unemployment, poverty and use of drugs and other substance abuse among the youths.

Another recommendation was collaboration between security stakeholders for efficient service delivery.

“Ministry of Interior and National Administration needs to establish a structured operating procedure on how other Non-State actors including private security should supplement policing effort.”

There was also a call for establishment of a remuneration scheme for village elders.