Community dreams of a new Khomasdal

COMMUNITY members in Windhoek’s Khomasdal suburb say they have had it with the suburb’s reputation as a place rife with violence and drug abuse, where residents refuse to participate and get involved with the rest of the nation.

On Sunday, about 40 residents, along with officers of the Namibian Police and the Windhoek City Police, met in the Khomasdal Community Hall to set in motion what they hope will be the steady transformation of their society. Issues discussed on Sunday included the non-existence of safe recreational activities for the youth, which leads to drug and alcohol abuse, as well as the establishment of a neighbourhood watch.”I can speak about statistics all day, but what I can tell you in statistics, you can tell me in real people,” one of the Police officers in attendance, Nampol’s Chief Inspector Derek Brune, told the meeting.”One thing that people often forget is that crime is committed by people from our communities,” added City Police Chief Abraham Kanime.”Crime is committed by people, and they don’t live in the mountains, they are not specially marked.They sleep in our houses, they are transported by us, bailed out by us, it is we who pay for their lawyers.When they steal shoes, they don’t check for their own sizes.Their market is us, the community,” he said, asking residents to become involved in community policing.”The problem we have,” Kanime said, “is that the Police see themselves as the authority over the community, while the community sees the Police as a Government agency.”The group, who call themselves the Khomasdal Community Forum, have set up four subgroups that are to concentrate on issues regarding education, counselling, youth work and community policing.They have, since their formation in February, started activities such as information gathering on drug abuse in their areas, educating residents on the Liquor Act and organising community activities to try and unite residents.One of these activities, a drug abuse awareness march and youth day, is hoped to be realised in May.The forum has invited others with an interest in Khomasdal to attend its next meeting at the Khomasdal Community Hall on April 6.Issues discussed on Sunday included the non-existence of safe recreational activities for the youth, which leads to drug and alcohol abuse, as well as the establishment of a neighbourhood watch.”I can speak about statistics all day, but what I can tell you in statistics, you can tell me in real people,” one of the Police officers in attendance, Nampol’s Chief Inspector Derek Brune, told the meeting.”One thing that people often forget is that crime is committed by people from our communities,” added City Police Chief Abraham Kanime.”Crime is committed by people, and they don’t live in the mountains, they are not specially marked.They sleep in our houses, they are transported by us, bailed out by us, it is we who pay for their lawyers.When they steal shoes, they don’t check for their own sizes.Their market is us, the community,” he said, asking residents to become involved in community policing.”The problem we have,” Kanime said, “is that the Police see themselves as the authority over the community, while the community sees the Police as a Government agency.”The group, who call themselves the Khomasdal Community Forum, have set up four subgroups that are to concentrate on issues regarding education, counselling, youth work and community policing.They have, since their formation in February, started activities such as information gathering on drug abuse in their areas, educating residents on the Liquor Act and organising community activities to try and unite residents.One of these activities, a drug abuse awareness march and youth day, is hoped to be realised in May.The forum has invited others with an interest in Khomasdal to attend its next meeting at the Khomasdal Community Hall on April 6.