Crowded Police holding cells grabs the spotlight

THE overcrowding at Windhoek’s Police holding cells this week again attracted the attention of the Ombudsman’s office, whose investigators are currently looking into a host of complaints received from inmates at the three Police stations.

The Namibian Police’s Khomas Regional Commander, Commissioner Samuel //Hoëbeb, reported last week that cells at the Windhoek, Wanaheda and Katutura stations, who altogether have a holding capacity of 705, were occupied by approximately 1 079 trial-awaiting suspects.By yesterday morning, the Wanaheda Police station, with a capacity of about 180, was filled with 325 inmates, while the Windhoek Police station, built to hold 100 suspects, housed at least 253, according to the commanders of the three stations.The Director for Investigations in the Ombudsman’s office, Ieleen Rakow, said yesterday that the office was trying to find a short-term solution to many of the problems reported by inmates and confirmed to be legitimate by investigators.The Ombudsman’s office has in the last three years compiled two reports detailing conditions inside the Police holding cells, but according to the office, not much has changed in the meantime.One of the complaints being looked into is the case of a man who has apparently spent the last two weeks locked up after being caught driving while under the influence of alcohol.The suspect was granted bail at N$4 000, but has been unable to pay.’One of the things we’re trying to do is identify those who have spent at least six months in custody despite being granted bail, and see if something can’t be done in those cases,’ Rakow told The Namibian.The office is also checking for refugees, mentally handicapped people and those with contagious diseases who are being kept among the general prison population.Information received unofficially from the Wanaheda Police Station is that at least three refugees, who should either be deported or sent to the Osire Refugee Camp, were being held at that station by yesterday.Commenting on this, Rakow said information gathered from all complainants was to be recorded and checked with the prosecutors involved in their cases, as well as with the Prosecutor General’s office.But while many Windhoek residents are complaining about the City Police’s recent crackdown on traffic offenders, this apparently has not contributed much to the rising prison population.At the beginning of this month, the City Police had a list of about 28 000 arrest warrants, dating back to 2007, which are now being executed.’For the most part, traffic offenders seem to be appearing in court, paying their fines, and trying to get the matter resolved as quickly as possible,’ Rakow said.The increased number of people arrested over traffic fines is feared to be contributing to a backlog of traffic cases in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court.According to City Police Chief Abraham Kanime, traffic officers issue an average of 500 summonses daily, making it difficult to have these cases prosecuted speedily.’We’ve been fighting for a special court designated to traffic offences, but up to now the answer has been that there aren’t enough magistrates,’ Kanime told The Namibian in an interview last month.