The police say they were involved in 361 accidents in the 2024/25 financial year, costing them almost N$5 million.
Auditor general Junias Kandjeke has, however, flagged these figures in his audit of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security.
“The audit found that the accounting officer reported 361 accidents with an estimated repair cost of N$4.975 million for the financial year under review,” the report says.
However, according to supporting documents provided to the auditors, 86 of those accidents happened outside of the 2024/25 financial year, raising questions about the police’s accounting policies.
According to Kandjeke, 275 accidents involving police vehicles were correctly reported as occurring in 2024/25.
The ministry as a whole received a qualified audit opinion from Kandjeke because of several discrepancies in the reported accounts.
The police’s accounting of its lands and properties was flagged as incomplete, which means the auditors could not establish the real value of their assets.
“The audit found that the accounting officer’s statement was incomplete and did not comply with the requirements of the auditor general. Specifically, the statement did not include critical information such as the value of the property, date of acquisition, date of disposal or relinquishment, name(s) of occupant(s), and the treasury authorisation reference number,” Kandjeke says.
CRASH HISTORY
Concerns about police vehicle crashes had already been raised in parliament in May 2024 by Swapo parliamentarian Gerhard Shiimi.
Shiimi at the time said there were not enough police vehicles to effectively deal with crime.
Part of the issue was old vehicles, but he claimed the police illegally use vehicles for personal use and said there were reports of police officers driving under the influence of alcohol.
“Let us ensure we safeguard the vehicles so we can deliver to our core mandate as a law enforcement arm,” Shiimi told the parliament.
Approached for comment yesterday, Shiimi said he believed the police had improved on their fleet after his comments in 2024.
Since then, police vehicles have been involved in a number of high-profile accidents.
In 2025, a police van and a correctional service van crashed into each other, killing 16.
In March, a police vehicle crashed into the Chinese embassy in Windhoek during a high-speed chase. The driver lost control of the vehicle, according to police statements at the time.
Questions sent to acting police inspector general Anne-Marie Nainda were not answered by time of going to print.
