P.P.R.C’s Plan of Action

On the 20th of January, the Police and Public Relations Committee convened for their first meeting of the New Year. There was a large turnout from the community with people representing many different organisations such as security companies, Immigration Control, Ministry of Youth, the Waterfront, Prison Services, Chamber of Commerce and Industry and many more. There were thirty Committee Members in total. A new Chairperson was elected; Mr. Willem Gumede and the other posts were also filled. Last year, the Station Commander explained, people’s commitment to the meetings gradually faded and that this year he hopes members will be more active and serious about the role that they play in the Committee.
The goal of the Committee is, first and foremost, to prevent crime. It wants to encourage members of the public to join as everyone is involved in the fight against crime. The Station Commander also stated that this year the police have been given a budget to employ, “Informers”. Informers are members of the public that keep a watchful eye on the streets and report any suspicious activities to the authorities, with particular emphasis on drug trafficking. Anyone can apply to be an Informer as long as they are Namibian citizens, between the ages of eighteen and fifty and have no criminal record. No one can be forced to become an Informer; if you are interested in the position then you must apply out of your own initiative. There was also talk of setting up a Sister Organisation in Old Location or a Neighbourhood Watch. The feeling in the meeting was that a Neighbourly Conscience is missing from Luderitz and that Buchters must once more become a real community for one another. They must make an effort to know their neighbours, find out their home number so that if they notice something amiss around their property they can be informed. The Station Commander reminded those present that any Namibian citizen over the age of eighteen has the right to arrest someone and bring them to the police station.
Many issues were brought to the floor and discussed. The Immigration Officers explained that there are very few staff handling immigration at the moment and as a result they need as much help from the police and the public as possible. They requested that if anyone suspects someone of being an immigrant that they inform the office. Another issue raised was the prolific number of children begging outside of shops and hassling tourists. It was decided that a solution
to this problem has to be found during this year. There have been programmes in the past but they haven’t provided a lasting solution. There was talk of creating a centre to keep them off the streets but the general opinion was that the blame lies with the parents. The Station Commander also raised the point that if these children were truly street children then they would also be sleeping on the streets. As it is, these children do have homes and therefore should not be left to beg.
Learners loitering outside of supermarkets and underage drinking were also brought up as problems. The Committee felt that parents are being too lenient with their children; letting them stay up too late, sleep too
ate and drink instead of staying at home and studying. We even heard tell of one sixteen year old that was found near the Waterfront, passed out in the road from too much drink. The policeman who found him explained that it took around
four hours before the boy came to and started making any sense. This level of alcohol abuse at such an early age is shocking and something definitely needs to be done to discourage this kind of behaviour. The representatives from the security companies present also mentioned that establishing a direct link between the police and their employees would be worthwhile. The police agreed and suggested creating a radio link as they’re less expensive than cell phones.
The attitude of security companies was also discussed. Apparently employers of certain security companies instruct their employees not to inform the police of crimes that occur outside of their work perimeters. This attitude of, “every man for himself” has to be changed and there will be a meeting taking place between the heads of all the security companies and the police to discuss this problem.
The police hope to have more officers patrolling the streets, especially when tours arrive in town. Recently a tourist was robbed and approximately N$20,000 worth of possessions were stolen. All agreed that this was unacceptable and that the tourists must feel safe during their time in Luderitz. The police explained that they would like to have more police cruisers, but that they are lacking in drivers.
During the meeting crime statistics from recent years were discussed. In 2007there was 850 cases reported, 2008 only 643 and in 2009 there was 655. The police aim to reduce this number again during 2010. The total amount after all the fines were collected from 2009 was N$257065.
The woman and child protection unit’s numbers have also fluctuated. In 2007 there was 69 incidences of domestic violence, 18 of which were minors. In 2008 there were 85 incidences, 18 of these were minors, and 4 minors were accused of domestic violence. The number went down again in 2009 when there was 75 incidences, 10 of which were minors and 3 minors were accused.
These meetings will be taking place every month in the new Police Conference Hall at the police station. Members of the public will be warmly received and are encouraged to attend. The next meeting will be taking place on the 24th of February at 2.00pm and will finish at 4.00pm.
In other news, the court was surprisingly, but thankfully quiet during December, with few drink drivers caught and generally less crimes that the festive season normally prompts. The Karas region crime rate also was reduced during 2009 by 30%, which makes it one of the best area reductions in Namibia.•