Towards A More Proactive Police Force

THE Minister of Police, Nangolo Mbumba, needs to take a long, hard look at the force, and if possible, make surprise visits to Police stations around the country to assess the situation.

This newspaper has for long argued for more resources and training for our law enforcers because we believe that not only the fight against crime, but the prevention thereof, and the safety of our citizens, is of key importance. We value, or should value, the dedicated and hardworking men and women in uniform whose primarily goal is to keep the nation safe.It is for this reason we’ve always advocated for a well equipped and well-educated, decently paid and also dedicated cadre of police officers to serve the people of this country to the best of their ability.There are sections of the Namibian Police who take their work seriously and make efforts to inform and protect the public against crime, and this is valued, and certain regions are better than others.The public, and indeed the media who chiefly inform the people of this country, were recently sorely deprived by the Khomas regional division of the Namibian Police who stopped the issuing of regular crime bulletins, and we believe that without regular communications, Namibians aren’t being kept in the picture as to whether they are safe or not.When there is not regular communication with the public by our law enforcement arm, then rumours abound and people are falsely lulled into a false sense of security.Crime will not simply diminish because the police have ceased to report on it, and so we argue here today for the Minister to look seriously at this deficiency and find ways and means of remedying it, and also focussing on a skilled and competence police cadre.It is only the nation’s capital where the (Municipal) City Police are located. And more often than not, they are easier to deal with and quicker to respond to emergencies. Once they’ve done the footwork in the investigation and detection of crime, the Namibian Police supposedly take matters from there.A recent call to the Police 10111 number after hours was revealing. The person on the other end of the line was not only unhelpful, but virtually illiterate, and after a frantic request for help, was finally able to tell the caller to ‘phone the City Police’. Once contacted, the City Police were quick to assist and to act.This is absolutely unacceptable. People in emergencies often phone the emergency number nearest to hand, and to get such a non-response in a crisis is not good enough.We have argued, and will continue to do so, for the huge necessity of a well-educated and responsive police force above that of a military, for example. And indeed a huge portion of the annual budget goes towards this end. We need to know though, that these monies are put to good use.There are certain jobs that should be more than just that. And being a Police officer is one of these. It is more of a calling than a means of employment, and more stringent recruitment procedures, as well as skills training, should be put in place to ensure that this will be the case. If we simply regard the police force (and military) as places to employ the unemployed, then there is little doubt that things will start to deteriorate, most notably the safety of citizens.We have mentioned and do so again, that there are branches of NamPol whose work and dedication in certain areas is obvious. The Erongo Police are usually proactive, and so too are Karas, Otjozondjupa and those in Oshana, and so credit must be given where it is due. But the status quo countrywide is not the same.Namibians need to put trust in the Police that they will respond quickly and efficiently in times of crisis, and that they will also regularly patrol and ensure that criminal acts are kept to the minimum.There can be no long-lasting confidence and trust in a force that is incapable of even answering an emergency call with efficiency and responsiveness, for it is the tax dollars of Namibians that pays for this service.We would therefore ask the Minister of Police to give priority to ensuring a proactive force throughout the country and to ensure that channels of communication are open at all times, keeping our people well informed of what’s happening.