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Like any other dependency, crime can be addictive and can have enormous impact on family, friends and the community.
David Karuri, an addiction expert and the Executive Director of Freedom from Addiction Organisation cautions that anyone can get in to crime at any age. He advises that should an adult or a child start picking things however small, they should seek behavioural counselling and cognition therapy at the soonest.
"This eventually develops into serious crime and attracts drug abuse because as the victim grows, there are things they cannot do unless under they are the influence of drugs," he says.
Reports also show that poverty, easy access to firearms and low levels of education are major factors that contribute to crime in Kenya. Peer influence is another factor that leads to high crime rates in Kenya.
A 2011 Kenya Police crime statistics show that though women accounted for only 4 percent of violent crimes committed, women are increasingly getting involved in crime.
The Director of Freedom from Addiction notes that there are three areas that cannot be overlooked while addressing crime as an addiction.
• Drugs-to-induce-crime: This is one of the tactics used by adults to recruit youths to crime. This, he says, is very common among high school and university students.
• Crime to pay for drugs: when a drug addict needs them he can commit any crime to get funds for buying drugs.
• Lifestyle: Some youths take crime as a job because they have no other source of income and embraces it as a job.
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