President Hage Geingob has appealed to the Judiciary to ensure that dangerous criminals are not given bail. He made this appeal when he inaugurated a multi-million dollar NamPol Forensic Science Institute in Windhoek. As cases of gender-based violence (GBV) continue unabated, President Geingob wants the Judiciary to be swift in dealing with perpetrators. "The Judiciary must tighten the loopholes and laxity that are present in the criminal justice system, to ensure that our victims of crime and their families receive justice. Where the crime committed is of such a heinous nature that it poses a threat to the fabric of national cohesion and stability, the perpetrator or perpetrators thereof should receive no leniency," he said. Lawmakers, he says, will work towards stiffer penalties by passing effective legislation aimed, at ensuring that once perpetrators of serious crimes are found guilty, they get punished or even removed from society. The challenge, however, is that criminals are protected by the community at times, which has made it difficult for law enforcement agencies to investigate cases and apprehend them. Between September 2019 and September this year, 892 GBV cases were withdrawn by the victims themselves. "Therefore, I would like to appeal to our communities to work together with law enforcement agencies to ensure that criminals are not allowed to continue committing their crimes. Our community should desist from harbouring criminals, even if they are their relatives. Instead, they should discourage them from committing criminal activities, so that they become productive citizens of our Namibian House," said President Geingob Recently released statistics by the Namibian Police indicate that 943 rape and murder cases were reported between September 2019 and September this year. Of these, 658 have been to the courts and only four persons convicted and sentenced.