Nairobi — Police in Nairobi have arrested 6 suspected muggers in Mathare slum on Monday as security agencies continued to close in on gangs that have been terrorizing city residents.

The six aged between 20-26 years were smoked from their hideout in Mathare 1 area by police officers who were on patrol.

The National Police Service (NPS) revealed that the suspects were found in possession of 8 rolls of bhang, 4 knives and a stone.

NPS reiterated its commitment to ensuring peace and security in the city that has recently witnessed an increase in criminal activities.

"The NPS remains unrelenting in the protection of life and property as security operations in various parts of the country intensify," the police service said.

"This comes after the Inspector General, Mr. Japhet Koome recently issued a stern warning to crime syndicates in Nairobi and across the country to either desist from crime or else face the full force of the law," a statement issued NPS on Tuesday outlined.

Monday's arrests are the latest in a series of anti-crime raids targeting criminal elements in the city following public outcry on increased crime rates in the country's capital.

Prior to the arrests in Mathare, police nabbed Gatonga Njeri Dickson, a suspected thug who has been operating in Nairobi's Kariobangi and Huruma area.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindure announced a reshuffle in Police Command that saw the deployment of Baringo Commander Adamson Bungei as the new Nairobi Region Police Commander to lead renewed efforts to tame crime.