Crime Is Out Of Control

WE have full understanding for the fact that the country as a whole is presently preoccupied with politics given that this is an election year and that the polling dates for Presidential and Parliamentary elections have now been set for November 27 and 28.

While probably still under-reported by the country’s media, what appears to be a new crime wave is currently underway, and warrants some urgent intervention by society as a whole.From armed robberies on businesses countrywide, to housebreaking and murder in the suburbs to farm attacks, the present crime wave is simply going from bad to worse, and we are not hearing much from either Government or law enforcement with regard to the spate of criminal activity.Some members of the business community, including media, have joined together to initiate a hotline for crime and there are other endeavours, but all in all it is not enough to stem the rising tide, in which loss of life and property and livestock is becoming the order of the day.A local weekly newspaper this week reported on its front page that murder cases in Namibia continue to escalate at an alarming rate, and that nearly 100 murders have been committed since the beginning of the year. They acknowledge that this may not be the whole picture. Most of these crimes involve knives and guns, and while some are the result of drunkenness and debauchery, there are many that appear to be calculated events connected to robberies and break-ins.Every news report on the front page of the Afrikaans daily on Wednesday of this week was a crime story, from the headline ‘Terror on farms’, to ‘Four behind bars for murder of Koos Stoop’ to ‘Danie survives farm attack’.These criminal acts are occurring across the social divide, from the more affluent areas of the capital city to the poorer rural and peri-urban areas of the country, and are affecting rich and poor alike.Cases of robbery and theft, especially in times of economic downturn, will inevitably spiral, but the accompanying violence is what is most disturbing of all. In many of the recent cases of housebreaking and theft, the bloodletting could have been avoided. It is this apparent disregard for human life that risks turning Namibia into a society terrorised by criminals.We are sure that there are times when law enforcement does as much as it can, particularly when it comes to speedy response to calls for assistance and help. But it is clearly not enough. There needs to be visible presence in our country’s streets and villages in order to act as a deterrent. We are not in favour of a militarised society (after all we only recently emerged from one into what everyone hoped would be an era of peace) but deployment of even the Namibia Defence Force in terms of patrols could be once again considered to try and stem the tide of violence and the senseless loss of human life as a result of such criminal activities.People have a right to feel safe on the streets of their towns; they have a right to feel safe in their homes; but it is getting to the point where no one is safe any longer. Self-defence weapons such as guns are not necessarily the answer, although it is to be expected that more and more people will be applying for licences for small arms because of the increased threats to their lives and those of their families.Something has to be done about it and ways have to be found by our society at large to try to minimise the current spate of bloodletting.We are approaching the point where Government probably needs to initiate an emergency meeting of all sectors to look at practical ways and means to make a difference, not least of all to address the feelings of hopelessness that severe unemployment and an uncaring society often help to generate.We are certain that the business community, the churches, and all other groups can be brought together in an effort to apply our minds as to how we can deal with something which is rapidly reaching crisis proportions.Violent crime affects not only the psyche and safety of our nation, but will have a severe impact on the economy as well.We need to act now.