Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have pointed out some of the mistakes that led to the Westgate attack.
This was after Al-Shabaab terrorists launched an attack on Westgate Mall in Westlands, Nairobi on September 21, 2013.
“On the fateful day at around midday the militants stormed the high-end Westgate Mall throwing grenades and firing indiscriminately at shoppers in a coordinated slaughter that detectives later discovered had been planned for months,” DCI noted in a statement.
The incident that lasted for about two days left 67 Kenyans dead and several others seriously injured.
DCI Investigations revealed that Al-Shabaab militants based in Somalia joined efforts with their contacts at the Kakuma refugee camp and in Nairobi during the attack.
At that time, detectives could not track the activities of the terrorists since the sim cards they were using for communication had no clear details.
“As sleuths later found out, 8 mobile phone lines directly linked to the attack were registered in Nairobi and switched on days to the attack.”
“Based on our response following the attack, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations learned from its mistakes and has since then put in place mitigating measures to ensure that such an attack does not occur,” read part of the DCI report.
Since then, DCI has come up with strategies such as developing the human resource capacity of the officers to respond to contemporary security demands on time.
In addition, the DCI-Anti-Terrorism Police Unit was upgraded and a highly specialized counterterrorism and hostage rescue tactical team – the Emergency Response Team (ERT) was established.
The government has also invested heavily in the training and motivation of the detectives; to ensure they work round the clock to prevent terror-related attacks.
Additionally, an anonymous, toll-free call center was established at DCI headquarters to specifically handle calls related to serious crimes such as terrorism.
The government has also embraced the multi-agency approach in responding to security threats to ensure the safety and security of Kenyans.
