The newly sworn in Inspector General of Police (IG) Japhet Koome on Monday gave criminals a one-month ultimatum to surrender their illegally acquired firearms.

Speaking at Harambee House, Koome warned criminals who have been terrorising Kenyans in the city and elsewhere that they will face the music if they don’t comply within a month.

The new IG spoke after holding a meeting with Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to discuss ways of dealing decisively with the rising wave of criminal activities, especially in the city.

“We have agreed in our meeting to give these young people in possession of guns one month. Surrender to the police that gun you are illegally holding. Whoever is threatening Kenyans’ peace will be dealt with by our well-trained officers,” said Koome at the briefing.

Koome and Sakaja said they will form a County Policing Authority to come up with ways of effectively tackling the surge in mugging, robberies and other forms of crime in the capital.

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The National Police Service has come under heavy criticism in the recent few weeks for failing to contain the spiking cases of criminal activities in Nairobi involving gangs of youth.

However, the IG denounced the many videos being circulated on social media as capturing the crime surge saying many are foreign as he also denied claims that police are on strike.

Koome also promised to take sterner action to tame the wave of cattle rustling in some parts of the country that have resulted in the loss of lives, livestock and other properties.