Municipal Police Should Be Just That
By: Editorial CommentTHE question of a municipal Police force, due to come into being more than two years ago, appears to have been both delayed and politicised largely by manoeuvrings and interference from central Government which have not been helpful in resolving the city's crime problem.
The initiative by the Windhoek City Council, largely praised as a
potentially helpful measure in the face of NamPol's apparent
inability to effectively patrol and maintain peace and security in
the capital's business and residential areas, appears to have been
hijacked by Government for reasons that are not known, but are a
matter of widespread speculation.
Now the matter is in the hands of a committee in which City
Council representation has been virtually eliminated; and instead
it is now dominated by NamPol, the Namibia Defence Force and
ntelligence services, and anything eventually set in place by this
committee is liable to be an extension of NamPol rather than a
municipal Police force as originally envisaged.
The raison d'etre for setting up the force in the first place
was NamPol's failure to combat crime in the city and environs
effectively, and it was believed that the municipal Police could
complement, but not substitute for, the work of the regular
force.
There would of course have had to be close co-operation in this
initiative in order to clarify the function and role of the
municipal Police, as well as to prevent unnecessary duplication and
confusion on the part of the public and the law enforcement units
themselves.
It would seem at this point as though much of the political
pressure has originated from NamPol itself and the Ministry it
reports to, perhaps out of concern that a municipal force might
outperform their own members, which would explain why they have now
virtually hijacked the initiative.
Despite the matter having effectively been taken out of City
Council hands, it is the Municipality, via its taxpaying residents,
who will have to foot the bill, and the question could legitimately
be raised as to why they should have to fund a project that is
essentially not under their control.
The Windhoek City Council has not been perfect in all its
dealings, but there are some very positive things to be said about
it.
Among others, the cleanliness of the city itself, the
well-maintained services, and the very proactive approach to
tackling crime and making Namibia's capital a safe place for
residents and tourists alike, have resulted in a lot of
acclaim.
It has been recognised that Council could not 'go it alone' on
this initiative, and that there needed to be close liaison and
co-operation with the authorities in general and NamPol in
particular.
But it is a great pity that the Municipality has now been denied
the right to implement an initiative that was its in the first
place.
While it is important that both NamPol and the NDF be involved
in setting up the force, with a view to collaboration and
assistance and streamlining of functions in the future, we fail to
see the necessity of having national intelligence operatives on
board.
There appears also to be an increasing lack of transparency.
The fact that top posts in the force are to be handpicked would,
certainly, fuel suspicions that NamPol officers are vying for these
positions.
This is unacceptable.
NamPol has to a large degree been discredited in the sense that
it has not been effective in tackling crime.
This has been ascribed to a number of reasons, including lack of
trained personnel and scarce resources.
The Municipal Police at least offered residents a chance of
being a success story if properly trained, equipped, resourced and
managed.
If it is possible to turn back the clock and place the
initiative back in City Council hands, with close NamPol
collaboration, we are certain this would work to the benefit of the
City and all its residents and visitors.
Now the matter is in the hands of a committee in which City Council
representation has been virtually eliminated; and instead it is now
dominated by NamPol, the Namibia Defence Force and ntelligence
services, and anything eventually set in place by this committee is
liable to be an extension of NamPol rather than a municipal Police
force as originally envisaged. The raison d'etre for setting up the
force in the first place was NamPol's failure to combat crime in
the city and environs effectively, and it was believed that the
municipal Police could complement, but not substitute for, the work
of the regular force. There would of course have had to be close
co-operation in this initiative in order to clarify the function
and role of the municipal Police, as well as to prevent unnecessary
duplication and confusion on the part of the public and the law
enforcement units themselves. It would seem at this point as though
much of the political pressure has originated from NamPol itself
and the Ministry it reports to, perhaps out of concern that a
municipal force might outperform their own members, which would
explain why they have now virtually hijacked the initiative.
Despite the matter having effectively been taken out of City
Council hands, it is the Municipality, via its taxpaying residents,
who will have to foot the bill, and the question could legitimately
be raised as to why they should have to fund a project that is
essentially not under their control. The Windhoek City Council has
not been perfect in all its dealings, but there are some very
positive things to be said about it. Among others, the cleanliness
of the city itself, the well-maintained services, and the very
proactive approach to tackling crime and making Namibia's capital a
safe place for residents and tourists alike, have resulted in a lot
of acclaim. It has been recognised that Council could not 'go it
alone' on this initiative, and that there needed to be close
liaison and co-operation with the authorities in general and NamPol
in particular. But it is a great pity that the Municipality has now
been denied the right to implement an initiative that was its in
the first place. While it is important that both NamPol and the NDF
be involved in setting up the force, with a view to collaboration
and assistance and streamlining of functions in the future, we fail
to see the necessity of having national intelligence operatives on
board. There appears also to be an increasing lack of transparency.
The fact that top posts in the force are to be handpicked would,
certainly, fuel suspicions that NamPol officers are vying for these
positions. This is unacceptable. NamPol has to a large degree been
discredited in the sense that it has not been effective in tackling
crime. This has been ascribed to a number of reasons, including
lack of trained personnel and scarce resources. The Municipal
Police at least offered residents a chance of being a success story
if properly trained, equipped, resourced and managed. If it is
possible to turn back the clock and place the initiative back in
City Council hands, with close NamPol collaboration, we are certain
this would work to the benefit of the City and all its residents
and visitors.