FARMERS in the //Kharas region have expressed alarm at the rate of stock theft in their area.
The scourge, they charged, is being compounded by “ineffective policing”, which they claim has led to a low conviction rate.
“We, in the //Kharas region, are really tired of being neglected in all areas of our lives. Our livestock, which is our livelihood, is being stolen at an alarming rate and it appears the police are not taking this seriously,” farmer Edwin Ejazera fumed.
According to him, police officers request farmers to provide evidence, such as carcasses and meat, when they report stock theft cases.
“How can one confront these thieves, armed with guns and pangas and all types of weapons to get the evidence?” He asked.
He believes stock theft cases in the region are higher than the murder rate, while claiming that the police are doing nothing to curb the crime threatening the sustainability of livestock production in the region.
Ejazera said many stock theft cases remain unsolved and if the suspects are arrested, they are released on bail.
“These (livestock) thieves are caught, but tomorrow they are walking freely laughing at you,” he remarked.
He called on Namibian Police inspector general Sebastian Ndeitunga to intervene. “We need Sebastian Ndeitunga to intervene by coming down to the south to talk to his officers,” he said.
The farmer suggested harsher sentences for those arrested for stock theft because they repeat the offence when released from police custody.
“I am sure the police by now have a big database of those arrested for stock theft,” he added.
The farmer said, thieves on Monday slaughtered four cattle belonging to his cousin at a communal farm in the Vaalgras district.
The //Kharas police crime investigations coordinator, Chrispin Mubebo, yesterday refuted claims that the police in the region do not take stock theft seriously.
“We react promptly on all stock theft reports,” he insisted.
The senior officer admitted that stock theft, like any other crime, is challenging, but revealed that the latest statistics show there is a slight decrease in stock theft cases in the region.
“One crime is too many, but you’ll never eliminate crime,” he remarked.
He agreed that at times suspects are released on bail following their arrest, but was quick to say, “the question of granting bail is a court issue”.
Mubebo said the police do not demand evidence from complainants per se, but merely ask tough questions that would guide them with the investigation.
“For us to investigate, we need to ask questions,” he added.
He reiterated that stock theft is serious like any other crime, and called on the public to assist the police with information that would lead to perpetrators facing the wrath of the law.
