When Crime And Law Enforcement Merge
THERE have been a few disturbing news reports in recent days about law enforcement officers being involved in various crimes, and this again highlights just how prevalent crime and corruption have become in Namibia.
Yet despite repeated editorials in this newspaper, as well as
ongoing news reports bearing out our concerns, the authorities
continue to be complacent.
This week it was revealed that several Policemen at Grootfontein
faced a number of graft charges, in addition to a traffic officer
being arrested in Windhoek for allegedly taking a bribe; and even
letters to this newspaper from foreign tourists who claim they,
too, have fallen prey to an unscrupulous traffic Policeman to whom
they reluctantly paid a kickback when stopped for the offence of
driving without a seat belt.
The situation has definitely deteriorated if we are now hearing,
not only of spiralling crime and corruption, but the fact that it
has penetrated our law enforcement agencies.
If the very people who are supposed to tackle crime and
criminals are on the receiving end of bribes and corruption, then
things have reached a very sorry state of affairs and serious
remedial action is needed.
Yet the lethargy of the authorities persists.
As we pointed out in earlier editorials, the Minister of Home
Affairs appears to have other priorities on the crime front, not as
pressing as the ones that the people of this country currently
encounter.
A stringent law on Stock Theft has now been passed by the
country's Parliament that provides for up to 30 years' imprisonment
for stealing one head of cattle and this appears to be the
Minister's main contribution to the fight against crime of late! It
has been pointed out that not only are the sentences fairly
excessive in their own right, but more especially so when compared
with far less harsh penalties meted out for violent crimes.
When one regards what is fast becoming a general state of
lawlessness in Namibia, with criminals on the rampage, and to add
insult to injury, increased cases of law enforcement officers
joining the fray, then the Stock Theft Act pales into
insignificance, although the Minister may regard this as an
achievement.
One could make the call for more intensive training of law
enforcement officers but one presumes that this is an integral part
of their training in any case, and if it's not, then there is even
more cause for concern.
Certainly there must be more monitoring by internal disciplinary
units of the Police, and culprits must be speedily brought to book
and removed from law enforcement if found guilty.
The arrest this month of three members of the CID at
Grootfontein was a bold move by the authorities there in ensuring
that they keep their hands clean and instilling confidence in the
justice system.
Sentences meted out to those charged with ensuring law and order
should be harsher than those of ordinary civilians because one
would presume that they are specifically trained to combat crime in
this country, and not contribute to it! Finally, we would like to
see a more pro-active stance from the authorities in the general,
more specifically the Minister of Home Affairs, when it comes to
crime prevention and control.
This week it was revealed that several Policemen at Grootfontein
faced a number of graft charges, in addition to a traffic officer
being arrested in Windhoek for allegedly taking a bribe; and even
letters to this newspaper from foreign tourists who claim they,
too, have fallen prey to an unscrupulous traffic Policeman to whom
they reluctantly paid a kickback when stopped for the offence of
driving without a seat belt.The situation has definitely
deteriorated if we are now hearing, not only of spiralling crime
and corruption, but the fact that it has penetrated our law
enforcement agencies.If the very people who are supposed to tackle
crime and criminals are on the receiving end of bribes and
corruption, then things have reached a very sorry state of affairs
and serious remedial action is needed.Yet the lethargy of the
authorities persists.As we pointed out in earlier editorials, the
Minister of Home Affairs appears to have other priorities on the
crime front, not as pressing as the ones that the people of this
country currently encounter.A stringent law on Stock Theft has now
been passed by the country's Parliament that provides for up to 30
years' imprisonment for stealing one head of cattle and this
appears to be the Minister's main contribution to the fight against
crime of late! It has been pointed out that not only are the
sentences fairly excessive in their own right, but more especially
so when compared with far less harsh penalties meted out for
violent crimes.When one regards what is fast becoming a general
state of lawlessness in Namibia, with criminals on the rampage, and
to add insult to injury, increased cases of law enforcement
officers joining the fray, then the Stock Theft Act pales into
insignificance, although the Minister may regard this as an
achievement.One could make the call for more intensive training of
law enforcement officers but one presumes that this is an integral
part of their training in any case, and if it's not, then there is
even more cause for concern.Certainly there must be more monitoring
by internal disciplinary units of the Police, and culprits must be
speedily brought to book and removed from law enforcement if found
guilty.The arrest this month of three members of the CID at
Grootfontein was a bold move by the authorities there in ensuring
that they keep their hands clean and instilling confidence in the
justice system.Sentences meted out to those charged with ensuring
law and order should be harsher than those of ordinary civilians
because one would presume that they are specifically trained to
combat crime in this country, and not contribute to it! Finally, we
would like to see a more pro-active stance from the authorities in
the general, more specifically the Minister of Home Affairs, when
it comes to crime prevention and control.