Editorial: Crime And What To Do About It
RECENT violent crimes against women have been roundly condemned by a number of Namibian institutions, among others the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) and the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN).
Most of those condemning the senseless killings have called for
concrete plans of action to deal with violent crime, and of course
there is a need to look holistically at a problem that is
skyrocketing in Namibia, whether they be robbery-motivated attacks,
rapes, murders or assaults.
But we cannot hope to find a solution unless we look at all
aspects contributing to the problem of violent crime as well as
ways to deal with it most effectively.
The most recent cases of two women being shot and killed for
their handbags have particularly incensed Namibians, and
Swakopmunders, among others, took to the streets to protest.
Protest is a way in which a community can say 'enough is
enough', and this is a further mandate for the authorities to
tackle the problem in a concrete way so that Namibians can feel
safe and secure, which is not currently the case.
Gun control is surely a key to the whole issue, and although it
has not been commented upon by anybody with the exception of
Governor Nuuyoma, the person whose gun was stolen from his vehicle
to be used in the point blank shooting of Alexandra Mooren on the
beach at Swakopmund, should be charged as an accessory to the
murder! For someone to be issued a firearm licence and then to
carelessly leave the weapon in a vehicle, is unacceptable, and one
cannot help but wonder whether Mooren would not have escaped with
her life if her attacker had not managed to steal a firearm.
HAN have also pointed out that tourism in Namibia is already in
something of a slump; and a prevalence of violent crime only deters
visitors further.
This is a problem which, aside from the other burning issues of
unemployment and HIV/AIDS, currently demands our immediate priority
attention.
The incidences of violent crime are ongoing, and the more
horrific ones usually spark some kind of immediate public reaction
like a protest or a march.
What is missing though, is some kind of undertaking from the
Minister of Home Affairs and the Police force that resorts under
him, to address the problem with immediate effect.
From time to time meetings are held with residents of various
towns in Namibia about crime prevention and how the public can
help.
Yet the matter seems to go no further.
In Windhoek, the proposed municipal police force, which seemed
to be a measure which held the promise of curbing crime, has not
yet got off the ground years later.
Red tape and bureaucracy seems to hold up any positive effort to
reduce crime.
This makes us wonder quite how serious the authorities are about
dealing with this scourge.
Various initiatives, such as the innovative idea of a crime
line, have ground to a halt due to 'lack of public support' and yet
it has to be said that Namibians are getting increasingly more
cynical about whether such campaigns will help at all.
If you cannot get assistance by calling the police at lunchtimes
and after hours, then what is the likelihood that a crime line will
succeed where direct contact failed? Where all else fails,
Namibians will look to protecting themselves if they cannot count
on law enforcement, and this means that they will apply for more
gun licences, which in turn has the effect of putting more small
arms into circulation.
These in turn end up in the hands of criminals, especially when
people are careless with these weapons, leaving them in cars or in
a home which gets burgled.
Guns in the hands of criminals will result in the shooting and
killing of innocent Namibians, often over what may be an
insignificant item such as a cellphone or handbag, where otherwise
they may simply have robbed the person without doing them serious
harm.
It is in fact a vicious circle.
We have in the past, and always will, call for public
co-operation in fighting crime, but it is now high time that the
authorities come up with a plan of action to make Namibians feel
safer in the country of their birth.
But we cannot hope to find a solution unless we look at all aspects
contributing to the problem of violent crime as well as ways to
deal with it most effectively.The most recent cases of two women
being shot and killed for their handbags have particularly incensed
Namibians, and Swakopmunders, among others, took to the streets to
protest.Protest is a way in which a community can say 'enough is
enough', and this is a further mandate for the authorities to
tackle the problem in a concrete way so that Namibians can feel
safe and secure, which is not currently the case.Gun control is
surely a key to the whole issue, and although it has not been
commented upon by anybody with the exception of Governor Nuuyoma,
the person whose gun was stolen from his vehicle to be used in the
point blank shooting of Alexandra Mooren on the beach at
Swakopmund, should be charged as an accessory to the murder! For
someone to be issued a firearm licence and then to carelessly leave
the weapon in a vehicle, is unacceptable, and one cannot help but
wonder whether Mooren would not have escaped with her life if her
attacker had not managed to steal a firearm.HAN have also pointed
out that tourism in Namibia is already in something of a slump; and
a prevalence of violent crime only deters visitors further.This is
a problem which, aside from the other burning issues of
unemployment and HIV/AIDS, currently demands our immediate priority
attention.The incidences of violent crime are ongoing, and the more
horrific ones usually spark some kind of immediate public reaction
like a protest or a march.What is missing though, is some kind of
undertaking from the Minister of Home Affairs and the Police force
that resorts under him, to address the problem with immediate
effect.From time to time meetings are held with residents of
various towns in Namibia about crime prevention and how the public
can help.Yet the matter seems to go no further.In Windhoek, the
proposed municipal police force, which seemed to be a measure which
held the promise of curbing crime, has not yet got off the ground
years later.Red tape and bureaucracy seems to hold up any positive
effort to reduce crime.This makes us wonder quite how serious the
authorities are about dealing with this scourge.Various
initiatives, such as the innovative idea of a crime line, have
ground to a halt due to 'lack of public support' and yet it has to
be said that Namibians are getting increasingly more cynical about
whether such campaigns will help at all.If you cannot get
assistance by calling the police at lunchtimes and after hours,
then what is the likelihood that a crime line will succeed where
direct contact failed? Where all else fails, Namibians will look to
protecting themselves if they cannot count on law enforcement, and
this means that they will apply for more gun licences, which in
turn has the effect of putting more small arms into
circulation.These in turn end up in the hands of criminals,
especially when people are careless with these weapons, leaving
them in cars or in a home which gets burgled.Guns in the hands of
criminals will result in the shooting and killing of innocent
Namibians, often over what may be an insignificant item such as a
cellphone or handbag, where otherwise they may simply have robbed
the person without doing them serious harm.It is in fact a vicious
circle.We have in the past, and always will, call for public
co-operation in fighting crime, but it is now high time that the
authorities come up with a plan of action to make Namibians feel
safer in the country of their birth.