Ban exposes lawbreakers thieves

 PETTY criminals have nowhere to hide now that betel nuts vendors have been moved away from the capital city, officials say.

Officials from the National Capital District Commission have been patrolling the city to carry out awareness on the ban and monitor criminal activities.

NCDC enforcement unit commander Sgt Paul Komboi said: “Since we got rid of the illegal buai hot spots in the city, it has become very clean. And interestingly, the absence of the vendors has exposed petty criminals.”

He said his men had found it easy to catch petty thieves and young people in possession of marijuana, home brew and weapons like knives and screw drivers.

“They are very easy to spot now. They have been exposed because they no longer can hide among the buai vendors and informal sector crowds,” Komboi said.

He said the longer the operation proceeded, the more petty criminals would be exposed.

“Not only is the buai ban helping clean up the city streets and making it beautiful, it is decreasing the crime rate in these market places and hot spots,” he said. 

“It is helping so much the cause of the United Nations Safe Cities project, of a safer market for women and girls.”