The Inspector General of the Namibian Police cautioned the business community and the public at Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi Region to refrain from harbouring criminals and encouraging illegal activities.

Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo made these remarks during a meeting with the community as part of his five-day visit aimed at launching the crime awareness campaign.

Lieutenant General Shikongo said the recurrence of criminal activities such as theft, robberies, house break-ins, and stock theft is a cause for concern.

"Some business communities are the ones that are encouraging criminals to go and steal because when they steal, they come and sell, and we buy things that we know are stolen. We're talking about stock theft. We're all Africans here, and our livelihood is agriculture. It's farming. We have kapana here, people who are selling meat every day, and some of the people who are coming to you and selling goats and cattle are people who do not even own a chicken."

Shikongo said those stealing or selling illegal products should be reported without hesitation.

"You know your child is not working, but you're only giving allowances to your child, your nephew, or your brother, but then every time this child is just having a lot of money and you're not even asking where you're getting all that money, probably this money is coming from drugs, probably this money is coming from house break-ins, probably this money is coming from robberies, you allow your child that's not working to come in the house with a big T.V., and you're not asking where they got this big T.V."

Residents at the meeting raised the issue of police late attendance at criminal incidents as well as the high issuance of traffic fines that most people in the transport sector are unable to pay.