Directorate of Criminal Investigation Kenya commonly known as Criminal Investigation Department- CID is a very crucial unit of the Kenya Police. It is the unit that is charged with investigating very complex and at times high profile cases that require high end expertise.
The headquarters are situated in Nairobi along Kiambu Road and it is headed by its director, Ndegwa Muhoro who reports to the Inspector general of police. This police Unit has branches across all counties, districts and division across the Republic of Kenya.
Under the CID are other sub-units that contribute to the overall success and competence of the unit they are;
- Flying Squad
This unit is very important as it cracks down on robbers and motor vehicle thieves. Most of the officers in the highly trained and efficient squad conduct undercover operations and have camouflaging image.
- Anti-Banking Fraud Unit
It is the unit that is tasked with fraud, money laundering and false accounting. They have auditors and financial engineers under their fold.
- Special Crime Prevention Unit
This unit is at the core of crime prevention. It collects intelligence on possible occurrence of crimes, observes crime patterns predicting likely areas to be hit by a certain form or group of criminals. They are also responsible for the profiling criminals and giving leads on futuristic crimes and patterns.
- Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU)
This is the unit that deals with terrorism, organized crimes and cross-borders criminal gangs. It is on the forefront to collect intelligence on possible terror outfit targets and thwart them at the same time investigate terror crimes and arrest suspects.
This has come to the limelight in the past few years due to the outbreak of the Harakat al Shabaab al Mujahedeen in the region the launching of series of attacks in Kenya. The results of their work have been felt with numerous attacks being thwarted and militants arrested or killed.
- Ballistics Unit
This is a forensic unit that deals with fire arms, ammunition and identifying firearms used in certain crimes and marching ammunition to arms used to fire from.
- Anti-Narcotics Unit
It is a unit that deals with narcotics or drugs and other illegal substances. They are charged with the role of preventing the entry into the country and trace the beneficiaries of the illegal trade ranging from the traffickers, peddlers to the consumers.
- Bomb Squad
It is charged with the role of studying explosions and detonating explosives. They are mainly attached to the presidential escort and have expertise in bomb detection and disposal.
- Cyber forensics
It is the cyberspace watch dog. They carry investigations that are committed using computers both on the internet or offline.
- Forensic Department
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This has a range of roles; fingerprint examinations, DNA Examinations, document authenticity examinations among other as they try to link or clear people. It is also charged with issuing of Good conduct Certificates that clear a Kenya Citizen and shows whether he or she has committed any crime annually.
Construction of a modern Forensic Lab at the headquarters is underway and projected to be done by 2017. The project will equip the CID with the necessary needed equipment and facilities to modernize criminal investigation and tackle the current challenges experienced.
