Rights activists and residents of Kwale county have raised a concern over increased cases of burglaries in the county.
They say several incidents of burglars striking random houses were reported last month.
Some of the items targeted by the burglars include, electronic items, cash and jewellery.
This has been happening despite claims of counter-measures by police officers.
Human Rights Agenda (Huria) executive director Yusuf Lule said they have received numerous complaints of daytime burglaries from locals.
“We have two incidents that happened last week. In the first incident, a Kwale town resident lost his television, fridge and radio. In the second incident, a lady lost her television set," he said
“Disappointingly, the identities of the daring thieves who steal right under our noses remain a mystery. We have studied the pattern of this crime, and the cases always increase in November and December."
A report released by Huria early this year stated that more than 40 incidents of housebreaking were reported in between June and December last year.
The report said the burglars walked away with assets worth more than Sh5 million.
In the report, Huria focused on incidents that occurred within Tsimba-Golini and some parts of Kombani in Waa-Ngombeni wards within the Matuga Subcounty.
It said victims of crime not only suffer an economic impact but also psychological and emotional loss.
“This is because they experience, anger, shock, fear of vulnerability and repeat victimisation, insomnia, anxiety, depression and even bouts of crying tears,” the report said.
Kenya's criminal justice system places police officers at the primacy of its processes and as the first contact of a victim or defendant.
Upon occurrence of crime, police officers are supposed to gather evidence to identify suspects and make an arrest.
“Police response to serious endangerment of private individuals' safety and security is not a matter of moral virtue, but a distinct duty. It is thus expected that investigations and overall police response will be swift, effective, fair, clear, and expedient,” Lule said.
The basic standards for law enforcement officials require police to be vigilant to protect potentially vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, women, and members of minority groups.
“Accepting and trivialising burglary as petty crime and a way of life may be out-rightly disastrous or dangerous,” he said.
Lule said as the demand and monetary value of stolen items continue to rise, the risk of other more heinous crimes such as rape, arson and murder equally grows.
“Stopping these unabated crimes is therefore inescapable,”he said.
