Long-standing plans to establish a satellite police station in Keetmanshoop's Tseiblaagte residential area are on track.
The ||Kharas Police Regional Commander, Commissioner Marius Katamila, revealed this in an interview with nbc News.
Commissioner Katamila said 80% of the crimes reported in Keetmanshoop are committed in the Tseiblaagte residential area.
The proposed site donated by the local town council for the satellite office is planned to be constructed between the Tseiblaagte and Kronlein residential areas.
"We want to take the service to the people, but as we know, there are financial implications. It is not always that we have money at our disposal. I am also in collaboration, working hard with the council; the council has donated a piece of land, but the size in itself is not enough. We need more land so that we can camp it off. And while we are waiting for the long-term plan of the police to build a new police station, we can now start work on a satellite station so that the services are brought close to the people. So that is one of our goals for 2025," highlighted Commissioner Katamila.
He appealed to residents to support the police in achieving their 2025 goal to establish a satellite police station, with the long-term aim of eventually setting up a fully fledged police station.
Meanwhile, he reported 74 road crashes on roads in ||Kharas during the festive season starting November 18, 2024, to January 5, 2025.
This is an increase compared to 36 crashes recorded in the previous festive season.
Road accidents over this past festive season resulted in four fatalities.
"We had in the previous year 36 cases of drunk driving that were arrested or affected. Whereas in the same period under 2024, we only have 30 cases. Other arrests that are traffic-related and suspended because they were unroadworthy and did not meet the requirements were 24 in either year. We had 10 in 2023, whereas in 2024 we only had four. Vehicles that were suspended because they were suspended and did not meet the requirements were suspended in either year. In 2023 we had 23 vehicles suspended; in 2024 we also had 23 vehicles suspended," added Commissioner Katamila.
Police in ||Kharas issued fines, valued at N$572,650, for road traffic-related violations over 2024/2025.
That is a drop from N$908,500 reported over the previous festive season.
Admission of guilt payments for road traffic violations amounted to N$277,800 over the 2024/2025 festive season, compared to N$346,700 over the 2023/2024 festive season.