THERE have been a few disturbing news reports in recent days about law enforcement officers being involved in various crimes, and this again highlights just how prevalent crime and corruption have become in Namibia.
Yet despite repeated editorials in this newspaper, as well as ongoing news reports bearing out our concerns, the authorities continue to be complacent. This week it was revealed that several Policemen at Grootfontein faced a number of graft charges, in addition to a traffic officer being arrested in Windhoek for allegedly taking a bribe; and even letters to this newspaper from foreign tourists who claim they, too, have fallen prey to an unscrupulous traffic Policeman to whom they reluctantly paid a kickback when stopped for the offence of driving without a seat belt.The situation has definitely deteriorated if we are now hearing, not only of spiralling crime and corruption, but the fact that it has penetrated our law enforcement agencies.If the very people who are supposed to tackle crime and criminals are on the receiving end of bribes and corruption, then things have reached a very sorry state of affairs and serious remedial action is needed.Yet the lethargy of the authorities persists.As we pointed out in earlier editorials, the Minister of Home Affairs appears to have other priorities on the crime front, not as pressing as the ones that the people of this country currently encounter.A stringent law on Stock Theft has now been passed by the country’s Parliament that provides for up to 30 years’ imprisonment for stealing one head of cattle and this appears to be the Minister’s main contribution to the fight against crime of late! It has been pointed out that not only are the sentences fairly excessive in their own right, but more especially so when compared with far less harsh penalties meted out for violent crimes.When one regards what is fast becoming a general state of lawlessness in Namibia, with criminals on the rampage, and to add insult to injury, increased cases of law enforcement officers joining the fray, then the Stock Theft Act pales into insignificance, although the Minister may regard this as an achievement.One could make the call for more intensive training of law enforcement officers but one presumes that this is an integral part of their training in any case, and if it’s not, then there is even more cause for concern.Certainly there must be more monitoring by internal disciplinary units of the Police, and culprits must be speedily brought to book and removed from law enforcement if found guilty.The arrest this month of three members of the CID at Grootfontein was a bold move by the authorities there in ensuring that they keep their hands clean and instilling confidence in the justice system.Sentences meted out to those charged with ensuring law and order should be harsher than those of ordinary civilians because one would presume that they are specifically trained to combat crime in this country, and not contribute to it! Finally, we would like to see a more pro-active stance from the authorities in the general, more specifically the Minister of Home Affairs, when it comes to crime prevention and control.This week it was revealed that several Policemen at Grootfontein faced a number of graft charges, in addition to a traffic officer being arrested in Windhoek for allegedly taking a bribe; and even letters to this newspaper from foreign tourists who claim they, too, have fallen prey to an unscrupulous traffic Policeman to whom they reluctantly paid a kickback when stopped for the offence of driving without a seat belt.The situation has definitely deteriorated if we are now hearing, not only of spiralling crime and corruption, but the fact that it has penetrated our law enforcement agencies.If the very people who are supposed to tackle crime and criminals are on the receiving end of bribes and corruption, then things have reached a very sorry state of affairs and serious remedial action is needed.Yet the lethargy of the authorities persists.As we pointed out in earlier editorials, the Minister of Home Affairs appears to have other priorities on the crime front, not as pressing as the ones that the people of this country currently encounter.A stringent law on Stock Theft has now been passed by the country’s Parliament that provides for up to 30 years’ imprisonment for stealing one head of cattle and this appears to be the Minister’s main contribution to the fight against crime of late! It has been pointed out that not only are the sentences fairly excessive in their own right, but more especially so when compared with far less harsh penalties meted out for violent crimes.When one regards what is fast becoming a general state of lawlessness in Namibia, with criminals on the rampage, and to add insult to injury, increased cases of law enforcement officers joining the fray, then the Stock Theft Act pales into insignificance, although the Minister may regard this as an achievement.One could make the call for more intensive training of law enforcement officers but one presumes that this is an integral part of their training in any case, and if it’s not, then there is even more cause for concern.Certainly there must be more monitoring by internal disciplinary units of the Police, and culprits must be speedily brought to book and removed from law enforcement if found guilty.The arrest this month of three members of the CID at Grootfontein was a bold move by the authorities there in ensuring that they keep their hands clean and instilling confidence in the justice system.Sentences meted out to those charged with ensuring law and order should be harsher than those of ordinary civilians because one would presume that they are specifically trained to combat crime in this country, and not contribute to it! Finally, we would like to see a more pro-active stance from the authorities in the general, more specifically the Minister of Home Affairs, when it comes to crime prevention and control.
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