Two police officers from the Gender-Based Violence Victim Protection Subdivision at Keetmanshoop in the ||Kharas region are under investigation for allegedly assaulting a suspect.
||Kharas police acting regional commander Gertruida !Kharuxab has confirmed the charges against the police officers.
!Kharuxas says the charges stem from an incident that took place on Tuesday, when two police officers were reportedly involved in a scuffle with a suspect during his arrest.
The incident has split public opinion on the amount of force used by the police officers.
“The suspect opened cases against both police officers. The officers were charged on Wednesday with common assault. They have not been arrested as the case is being investigated by the Police Conduct and Investigation Unit,” says !Kharuxab.
The arrest of the suspect took place at a residential property and is captured on video circulating on social media. The suspect was wanted in connection with gender-based violence-related charges registered by his sister in June this year.
!Kharuxab says the complainant (sister) contacted the police on Monday because the suspect allegedly troubled her again and informed them of his whereabouts. On Tuesday, the police found the suspect, but he allegedly resisted arrest, leading to the scuffle captured in the video.
The acting commander says both the suspect and the two officers sustained bruises and scratches during the scuffle. She further notes that after being taken to the Keetmanshoop charge office, the suspect was charged with assault and crimen injuria read with the domestic violence act and taken to a hospital for medical treatment.
She adds that the suspect has a right to open a case against the police officers, but would not comment on whether the officers used excessive force or not, based on the video footage.
“Nowadays we do not talk about minimal or maximum force anymore. We speak about reasonable force. However, since the matter is under investigation let me not comment on that,” says !Kharuxab.
The amount of force used by members of the police while arresting the suspect has split public opinion with some saying the police used excessive force and others saying the force used to apprehend the suspect was a necessary evil.
Community member Emerencia Bloodstaan says the suspect was sought for a case of domestic violence, which is a serious crime against women and children. Bloodstaan says therefore the force used by the police was necessary to apprehend the suspect.
“GBV has become a common everyday offence in the country. Yet we are seeing women and children dying at the hands of offenders. I mean people even prayed against GBV last week. So the police did what was necessary,” says Bloodstaan.
Another community member, Gerhard Shifuameni, says as far as he understands it was a 50/50 fight between the police and the suspect. He says therefore the police also have a right to make a case against the suspect to settle the score.
“They were rolling and hitting each other in the video. They should all just make cases and be happy,” says Shifuameni.
Chenao Hengari, another community member, says if the suspect was resisting arrest, the police used force as a power given to them by law.
“The suspect was resisting arrest. What was he expecting the police to do? When resistance happens, force is used. I think the force used was fair, because the suspect was also fighting back,” says Hengari.
The suspect in the gender-based violence case has been identified as Devonni Meyer (21). He appeared in the Keetmanshoop Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. Meyer was granted bail of N$800. His case is postponed to 3 December.
