CARJACKING IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY; AN INVESTIGATION OF THE TRENDS AND PATTERNS.

Abstract

Carjacking is a form of organized crime which is serious and potentially life-threatening as criminals are heavily armed and use force or threat to rob victims of their vehicles. Globally, carjacking has become popular as it made stealing cars and people’s money and other personal belongings a lot easier. The focus of this study was to investigate the emerging trends and patterns of carjacking. Further, the study explored the experiences of the victims and police officers, the factors that account for the recent upsurge and the existing conduits. Most of the academic research existing in Kenya focuses on issues tangential to carjacking such as robbery and theft of motor vehicles. Increasing recorded cases of carjacking has made the crime to be a source of concern in Kenya. However, knowledge of the subject is based on incomplete data derived from popular magazines and practitioner-oriented journals. The study utilized the Social Control theory and the Routine Activities theory. The site of the study was Nairobi County and involved police officers and victims of carjacking incidents. The study found that commonly carjacked vehicles were Toyota saloon cars and four by four while places vulnerable to carjacking incidents included traffic lights, intersection or at junctions. Areas vulnerable to carjacking were Embakasi area followed by Lavington, Langata Parklands and Westlands. Carjacking incidents occur in heavily populated areas and in the evenings while most carjackers are young men who are violent, armed and prefer to attack their victims on Friday and weekends. The police officers possessed some skills but needed more skills including data collection and analysis procedures for evaluation of crime. Most of the police officers had on average received between 20-30 reported carjacking incidents per month. Majority of the victims of carjacking incidents were held for several hours, shocked by the incidents, threatened with dire consequences, forced to give money and were traumatized. The factors that account for the upsurge in carjacking included ready market for stolen cars, sale of used car parts and unemployment. The leading conduits and networks in the carjacking industry include operations of organized criminal gangs or organizations, porous borders with ample routes for smuggling illicit goods, extension of networks of carjacking across international boundaries due to globalization and participation of car dealers. The precautions adopted by the police and motorists in prevention of carjacking incidents in Nairobi County include increased awareness, alertness by drivers when exiting and entering cars, attention to the surrounding and good knowledge of neighborhood. Other precautions include use of situational crime prevention strategies, increased victim awareness programs, and installation of alarms, engine immobilizers and tracking systems.