As he steps down as the Otjozondjupa Police Commander, Commissioner Heinrich Tjiveze has called on the incoming commander to solidify policing systems with farmers and the community to help curb stocktheft.
Commissioner Tjiveze made this request during the handing over of office to Commissioner Philip Hindengwa, who takes over following his promotion from Kunene Region.
Commissioner Tjiveze said although the region recorded a reduction in crime with six thousand 540 cases reported during the 2023/2024 financial year as compared to the seven thousand 946 cases reported during the 2022/2023 financial year, adding more efforts should be made to curb it.
Cases of stock theft, serious assault theft, housebreaking, and common assault rank among the top five crimes in the region.
"We had problem areas in the region, such as Okondjatu, Hochfeld, Kalkfeld, and Maroelaboom. When I came in, these were the problem areas, where relationships with the police were not really working well. We brought the change in leadership, and today I should tell you people in those communities are happy. The farming community embraced us. In fact, they've installed CCTV cameras throughout the key areas of the region that assist our efforts in arresting criminals, if we fail to prevent these resources, assist us in apprehending them."
Tjiveze, who served in the region from April 2017, now heads to Omaheke Region as Commissioner Philip Hidengwa comes in.
"Thank you very much for laying a good and strong foundation upon which I will be able to build and carry on this noble task. In the journey I am about to embark upon for ensuring that our community and visitors of the Otjozondjupa Region, that their fundamental rights and freedoms are secured through maintenance of law and order and by rendering quality service,"
Hidengwa served as the Deputy Commissioner of the Crime Investigation Division in the Kunene Region.
Deputy Inspector General for Administration, Major General Anna-Marie Nainda, called on both commissioners to maintain good policing strategies.
"In recent years, we witnessed a significant increase in demand for rational policing services nationwide, mainly because of the impact of expanding society with an ever more sophisticated technology at its disposal. At times these types of environments have proven to be difficult to police with conventional methods, hence, it calls for modern or contemporary policing approaches and applications of tailor-made modalities, despite our limited resources."
The region has 935 officers and 37 civilian personnel.