Over 110 000 crimes recorded in 1 year
Namibian Police Inspector General Joseph Shikongo says rising crime remains a serious concern with 110 551 cases recorded during the 2023/2024 financial year.
Robbery, rape, violence against women and children and other forms of domestic crimes, murder, car and livestock theft, drug dealing, housebreaking, are among the top crimes reported to the police.
The police chief was speaking on Monday in Ongwediva at the official opening of the Namibian Police Force Senior Command Conference 2024.
The conference, which ends on Friday, was held under the theme 'embracing innovation to navigate policing challenges'.
The Khomas Region recorded the highest crime rates, with 32.5% of the total reported crimes, followed by Oshana, Otjozondjupa and Erongo regions with 11.3%, 8.3% and 8%, respectively.
The Kavango West, Kunene and Omaheke regions were the least affected, with 1.5%, 3% and 3%, respectively.
Right time
Shikongo said: “I strongly believe that the Senior Command Conference for this year has indeed come at the right time, when we needed to revisit our strategies for combatting crime.”
He also used the platform to encourage officers to provide better service delivery to the public.
He said his office frequently receives complaints that some police officers provide poor service, particularly at certain charge offices and investigation units.
Safety and security minister Albert Kawana noted that the workshop comes ahead of the national elections. He urged operational commanders to deliberate on the future direction of the force as well as crowd control.
Kawana said the discussions at the conference will help commanders devise realistic strategies to effectively carry out the core functions of the police for the remainder of the year, ensuring safety and security for the country and improved service delivery to the public.
“I must emphasise, however, that the strategies should not only be limited to operational and administrative functions but should also relook on the relevance of some of the policies, both internal and external, namely, the Police Act and the accompanying manuals, as well as other laws that the force is required to enforce,” he said.
Resources addressed
Kawana assured Shikongo that his office will be ready to intervene if there is a need to amend any existing legislation that is not relevant to modern policing.
The minister said he is aware that the police face numerous challenges, such as a lack of transport due to an ageing fleet, limited promotion opportunities, and a lack of accommodation, rations and uniforms.
“With the allocated additional financial resources, we were able to purchase additional vehicles and close the gap. In addition, we were able to promote more than 7 000 police officers, the largest promotion in the history of the force. We were also able to train slightly more than 1 000 police officers,” Kawana said.
Robbery, rape, violence against women and children and other forms of domestic crimes, murder, car and livestock theft, drug dealing, housebreaking, are among the top crimes reported to the police.
The police chief was speaking on Monday in Ongwediva at the official opening of the Namibian Police Force Senior Command Conference 2024.
The conference, which ends on Friday, was held under the theme 'embracing innovation to navigate policing challenges'.
The Khomas Region recorded the highest crime rates, with 32.5% of the total reported crimes, followed by Oshana, Otjozondjupa and Erongo regions with 11.3%, 8.3% and 8%, respectively.
The Kavango West, Kunene and Omaheke regions were the least affected, with 1.5%, 3% and 3%, respectively.
Right time
Shikongo said: “I strongly believe that the Senior Command Conference for this year has indeed come at the right time, when we needed to revisit our strategies for combatting crime.”
He also used the platform to encourage officers to provide better service delivery to the public.
He said his office frequently receives complaints that some police officers provide poor service, particularly at certain charge offices and investigation units.
Safety and security minister Albert Kawana noted that the workshop comes ahead of the national elections. He urged operational commanders to deliberate on the future direction of the force as well as crowd control.
Kawana said the discussions at the conference will help commanders devise realistic strategies to effectively carry out the core functions of the police for the remainder of the year, ensuring safety and security for the country and improved service delivery to the public.
“I must emphasise, however, that the strategies should not only be limited to operational and administrative functions but should also relook on the relevance of some of the policies, both internal and external, namely, the Police Act and the accompanying manuals, as well as other laws that the force is required to enforce,” he said.
Resources addressed
Kawana assured Shikongo that his office will be ready to intervene if there is a need to amend any existing legislation that is not relevant to modern policing.
The minister said he is aware that the police face numerous challenges, such as a lack of transport due to an ageing fleet, limited promotion opportunities, and a lack of accommodation, rations and uniforms.
“With the allocated additional financial resources, we were able to purchase additional vehicles and close the gap. In addition, we were able to promote more than 7 000 police officers, the largest promotion in the history of the force. We were also able to train slightly more than 1 000 police officers,” Kawana said.
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