DCI disbands Flying Squad, forms new Nairobi-based unit

Officers from the Flying Squad unit during a past operation in Nairobi. The unit has been disbanded. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The unit, named Sting Squad Headquarters (SSH), will be based in Nairobi.

  • The unit will comprise highly skilled officers tasked with conducting surveillance both in uniform and in civilian clothes.

  • Flying Squad, an elite quick response unit, was formed in 1992 to combat crime within Nairobi area and its environs.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has disbanded the Flying Squad and replaced it with a specialised quick response unit.

The new unit, named Sting Squad Headquarters (SSH), will be based in Nairobi and will operate in areas that often experience armed crimes.  

It will comprise highly skilled uniformed and ununiformed officers tasked with conducting surveillance.

It will handle armed robberies, abductions, vehicle theft and sale and distribution of contraband and substandard goods.

APPLICATIONS

Calls for applications to join the squad, which will have up to 50 members, have been sent to regional DCI heads and the Directorate of Anti-Terror Police Unit.

Successful candidates will be sponsored to undertake specialised courses locally and abroad.   

The Flying Squad, an elite quick response unit, was formed in 1992 to combat crime in Nairobi and its environs.

It initially focused on preventing vehicle theft and later started combating robberies and organised criminal gangs around the country.

CYBERCRIME

The DCI has also scaled down the Special Crime Prevention Unit (SCPU) and renamed it the Special Service Unit (SSU), which will be domiciled at the DCI headquarters in Nairobi.

Both the SSU and SSH will perform intelligence-driven operations alongside other specialised units including cybercrime, ballistics and scene of crime.

“They will both be on standby 24/7 as needed in critical crime emergencies [across] the country,” said the DCI.