Impact of CCTV on Police Operations Outcomes in Nairobi City County, Kenya
Abstract
The widespread adoption of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) systems in major cities globally aims to improve policing outcomes. However, despite Nairobi’s CCTV system being operational since mid-2015, its specific impact remained unclear. This study investigated how CCTV influenced five key police operation outcomes: crime reduction, response times, road safety, officer safety, and cost reduction. Drawing from Rational Choice Theory and Routine Activity Theory, the study employed a convergent mixed-method design combining a cross-sectional survey with a phenomenological design. Participants included 403 police officers from the CCTV command centre and various police stations across the county, selected via cluster and purposive sampling. Data collection utilised questionnaires, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Quantitative analysis employed binary logistic regression, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. The findings revealed that CCTV has significantly reduced crime, enhanced road safety and officer safety, and lowered operational costs. However, response times saw minimal improvement due to limited CCTV coverage and coordination challenges between officers. The study recommends expanding coverage, strengthening collaboration among officers, and publicising the system's successes to maximise CCTV's potential
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Copyright (c) 2024 Gideon Kirui, PhD, Benard Muiya, PhD, Duncan Ochieng, PhD, Stephen Waithaka, PhD
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