Namibian Police Chief, Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo, is in Kavango East Region addressing crime in the country through engagements with the public and business fraternity.
The Inspector General is on the ground to ensure effective policing by NamPol is enhanced.
He stated that the most common criminal activities in Kavango East Region are street robberies, housebreaking, and stock theft.
Shikongo says the mandate is to preserve general security, maintain law and order, investigate offenses, prevent crime, and protect lives and property. If these steps are taken, the region's crime rate will decrease.
"Coming specifically to the Kavango East Region, I agree with the notion that crime has increased and people in the Kavango East Region are not at peace. Wherever you go, people will tell you this. Some business people even say that for me to be safe, I have to release my people to go before or just after five because if I let them go around seven, they will be attacked. Colleagues in management of Kavango East Region why do we have people attacked in Rundu? You can't justify that we don't have resources."
Shikongo says police visibility is very important as it will help control crime.
"The issue of resources. We must do with what we have. I always use myself as an example because I want to give a practical example: when I took over |Khomas, there were incidents where police officers were called to Wanaheda Police Station and told members of the public that they didn't have a car to attend to the community. How on earth? Whether it's in Kaisosi, Sauyemwa, Ndama, Tutungeni, or whichever location you are, you can't tell the community we don't have a car to attend to you. Because at that particular time when a member of the public is calling, there must be a police car parked somewhere."
Rundu Rural Councillor Paulus Mbangu claims that the Rundu police station is understaffed as the population grows.
"However, there are some hardworking police officers; there have also been resource issues, for example, as we have also picked up that the police population ratio in Kavango is also a challenge because the population is growing very fast and they are very few, and while I fully agree with you that we can work with the little that we have, my view is that going forward as a long-term strategy, perhaps we need two A-class police stations here in Rundu."
Shikongo also handed over a 4x4 bakkie to the Mukwe Police Station at the same time.
He will be on a similar mission to Kavango West, Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshikoto, and Oshana Regions.