Give Prisons more money, urges Swapo Councillor

JOHN Hakaye, a Swapo MP in the National Council, has echoed Safety and Security Minister Peter Tsheehama’s call that the Ministry should be given enough money to operate efficiently.

“Give more money to our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers in uniform,” said Hakaye. He said the Police are doing the country proud by maintaining law and order with limited resources.”Look at what happened at Otjiwarongo yesterday,” he said, referring to an armed robbery at a clothing shop, where the suspects were arrested minutes after the crime.He said the security of Namibia should never be compromised but should be maintained at all times.Hakaye was speaking during debate on the Appropriation Bill in the National Council yesterday.Last month, Minister Tsheehama frankly told the National Assembly about the sorry state in which his Ministry found itself because of a lack of money.He said the Ministry was sitting on a ticking time bomb, as the critical shortage of money for the Police and Prisons services could lead to “riots, jailbreaks and in extreme cases even the loss of life”.Tsheehama said with the allocation of N$150 million to his Ministry in the 2005-2006 Budget, he might be forced to reduce the current meagre food rations of prisoners and cut the supply of water and electricity to prisons.This, he said, would compromise “the safety and security of the public, members of parliament …and offenders”.He said the Police are doing the country proud by maintaining law and order with limited resources.”Look at what happened at Otjiwarongo yesterday,” he said, referring to an armed robbery at a clothing shop, where the suspects were arrested minutes after the crime.He said the security of Namibia should never be compromised but should be maintained at all times.Hakaye was speaking during debate on the Appropriation Bill in the National Council yesterday.Last month, Minister Tsheehama frankly told the National Assembly about the sorry state in which his Ministry found itself because of a lack of money.He said the Ministry was sitting on a ticking time bomb, as the critical shortage of money for the Police and Prisons services could lead to “riots, jailbreaks and in extreme cases even the loss of life”.Tsheehama said with the allocation of N$150 million to his Ministry in the 2005-2006 Budget, he might be forced to reduce the current meagre food rations of prisoners and cut the supply of water and electricity to prisons.This, he said, would compromise “the safety and security of the public, members of parliament …and offenders”.