Nairobi police on rollerblades

03 Jun, 2014

New police unit to combat muggers

A new team of police officers on inline skates, or rollerblades, will be deployed on the streets of Nairobi from 1 July, in an effort to curb the rising incidents of mugging in the city. About 40 officers are currently undergoing rollerblade training and on completion they will be deployed on the capital's major streets and in residential areas.

Nairobi's police commander Benson Kibue said that muggers and pickpockets take advantage of the city's crowds, and that previous attempts by police on motorbikes were ineffective due to the congested streets.

Starting out as a pilot programme, the initiative could be introduced in other Kenyan cities such as Mombasa and Kisumu, depending on its success in Nairobi.

The capital's police force is also introducing the use of sniffer dogs to help patrol bus terminals.