WINDHOEK RECENTLY EXPERIENCED a wave of street crimes, particularly robberies, muggings, vehicle break-ins, home invasions and everyday snatchings.
For weeks, social media was busy with talks of the certain cars terrorising and harassing unsuspecting people, particularly women, in the early hours as they finished work or left school.
I should state that we, as Namibians, are very good at peddling stories and creating hysteria rather than joining hands to arrest the situation, all thanks to the power of social media.
Windhoek is a small city with a unique social lifestyle. Believe me, the so-called racketeers are living among us, in our houses and as our family members. In most cases, the community knows who these ruffians are who are committing these heinous attacks, but simply because they bring money and other valuable items home, people go on social media to comment and joke that our brothers, sons, and boyfriends are ‘hustling’.
We should remember that crime is a deadly virus, and if not treated early, it can infect and infest homes, the community and the nation at large.
Effective crime prevention is a shared responsibility involving individuals, law enforcement, parents, youth, social services, and the community as a whole.
Society ought to promote closer cooperation among law-enforcement agencies and the public, especially between the police and prosecutors, to apply the rule of law against criminals to its full extent, making it more stringent against perpetrators.
Criminals are slowly taking over our community; cellphone grabbing and wiping is now normalised and treated like a willing seller, willing buyer transaction. Most people blame the police for not doing their best in curbing crime, but what are you, as a concerned citizen, doing to protect those around you?
If we are not proactive in security awareness, crime will destroy the nation and its livelihoods.
Let’s all take action.
– Johannes Emvula
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