Editorial: Crime And What To Do About It

RECENT violent crimes against women have been roundly condemned by a number of Namibian institutions, among others the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) and the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN).

Most of those condemning the senseless killings have called for concrete plans of action to deal with violent crime, and of course there is a need to look holistically at a problem that is skyrocketing in Namibia, whether they be robbery-motivated attacks, rapes, murders or assaults. But we cannot hope to find a solution unless we look at all aspects contributing to the problem of violent crime as well as ways to deal with it most effectively.The most recent cases of two women being shot and killed for their handbags have particularly incensed Namibians, and Swakopmunders, among others, took to the streets to protest.Protest is a way in which a community can say ‘enough is enough’, and this is a further mandate for the authorities to tackle the problem in a concrete way so that Namibians can feel safe and secure, which is not currently the case.Gun control is surely a key to the whole issue, and although it has not been commented upon by anybody with the exception of Governor Nuuyoma, the person whose gun was stolen from his vehicle to be used in the point blank shooting of Alexandra Mooren on the beach at Swakopmund, should be charged as an accessory to the murder! For someone to be issued a firearm licence and then to carelessly leave the weapon in a vehicle, is unacceptable, and one cannot help but wonder whether Mooren would not have escaped with her life if her attacker had not managed to steal a firearm.HAN have also pointed out that tourism in Namibia is already in something of a slump; and a prevalence of violent crime only deters visitors further.This is a problem which, aside from the other burning issues of unemployment and HIV/AIDS, currently demands our immediate priority attention.The incidences of violent crime are ongoing, and the more horrific ones usually spark some kind of immediate public reaction like a protest or a march.What is missing though, is some kind of undertaking from the Minister of Home Affairs and the Police force that resorts under him, to address the problem with immediate effect.From time to time meetings are held with residents of various towns in Namibia about crime prevention and how the public can help.Yet the matter seems to go no further.In Windhoek, the proposed municipal police force, which seemed to be a measure which held the promise of curbing crime, has not yet got off the ground years later.Red tape and bureaucracy seems to hold up any positive effort to reduce crime.This makes us wonder quite how serious the authorities are about dealing with this scourge.Various initiatives, such as the innovative idea of a crime line, have ground to a halt due to ‘lack of public support’ and yet it has to be said that Namibians are getting increasingly more cynical about whether such campaigns will help at all.If you cannot get assistance by calling the police at lunchtimes and after hours, then what is the likelihood that a crime line will succeed where direct contact failed? Where all else fails, Namibians will look to protecting themselves if they cannot count on law enforcement, and this means that they will apply for more gun licences, which in turn has the effect of putting more small arms into circulation.These in turn end up in the hands of criminals, especially when people are careless with these weapons, leaving them in cars or in a home which gets burgled.Guns in the hands of criminals will result in the shooting and killing of innocent Namibians, often over what may be an insignificant item such as a cellphone or handbag, where otherwise they may simply have robbed the person without doing them serious harm.It is in fact a vicious circle.We have in the past, and always will, call for public co-operation in fighting crime, but it is now high time that the authorities come up with a plan of action to make Namibians feel safer in the country of their birth.But we cannot hope to find a solution unless we look at all aspects contributing to the problem of violent crime as well as ways to deal with it most effectively.The most recent cases of two women being shot and killed for their handbags have particularly incensed Namibians, and Swakopmunders, among others, took to the streets to protest.Protest is a way in which a community can say ‘enough is enough’, and this is a further mandate for the authorities to tackle the problem in a concrete way so that Namibians can feel safe and secure, which is not currently the case.Gun control is surely a key to the whole issue, and although it has not been commented upon by anybody with the exception of Governor Nuuyoma, the person whose gun was stolen from his vehicle to be used in the point blank shooting of Alexandra Mooren on the beach at Swakopmund, should be charged as an accessory to the murder! For someone to be issued a firearm licence and then to carelessly leave the weapon in a vehicle, is unacceptable, and one cannot help but wonder whether Mooren would not have escaped with her life if her attacker had not managed to steal a firearm.HAN have also pointed out that tourism in Namibia is already in something of a slump; and a prevalence of violent crime only deters visitors further.This is a problem which, aside from the other burning issues of unemployment and HIV/AIDS, currently demands our immediate priority attention.The incidences of violent crime are ongoing, and the more horrific ones usually spark some kind of immediate public reaction like a protest or a march.What is missing though, is some kind of undertaking from the Minister of Home Affairs and the Police force that resorts under him, to address the problem with immediate effect.From time to time meetings are held with residents of various towns in Namibia about crime prevention and how the public can help.Yet the matter seems to go no further.In Windhoek, the proposed municipal police force, which seemed to be a measure which held the promise of curbing crime, has not yet got off the ground years later.Red tape and bureaucracy seems to hold up any positive effort to reduce crime.This makes us wonder quite how serious the authorities are about dealing with this scourge.Various initiatives, such as the innovative idea of a crime line, have ground to a halt due to ‘lack of public support’ and yet it has to be said that Namibians are getting increasingly more cynical about whether such campaigns will help at all.If you cannot get assistance by calling the police at lunchtimes and after hours, then what is the likelihood that a crime line will succeed where direct contact failed? Where all else fails, Namibians will look to protecting themselves if they cannot count on law enforcement, and this means that they will apply for more gun licences, which in turn has the effect of putting more small arms into circulation.These in turn end up in the hands of criminals, especially when people are careless with these weapons, leaving them in cars or in a home which gets burgled.Guns in the hands of criminals will result in the shooting and killing of innocent Namibians, often over what may be an insignificant item such as a cellphone or handbag, where otherwise they may simply have robbed the person without doing them serious harm.It is in fact a vicious circle.We have in the past, and always will, call for public co-operation in fighting crime, but it is now high time that the authorities come up with a plan of action to make Namibians feel safer in the country of their birth.