Staff Writer
City of Windhoek police received 359 cases of robberies in 49 days – between 27 June 2022 and 14 August 2022 – an average of seven crimes per day.
Cases of robberies are divided into two – robberies where no weapon would have been used and robberies where a weapon would have been used.
Of the 359 cases, the suspects did not use any weapon in 157 cases, while a weapon or weapons were used in 202 cases.
City police chief Abraham Kanime said most of the suspects committing crimes are repeat offenders or will be out on bail.
Kanime told The Villager that suspects must be behind bars, and investigators must work properly to help the courts deal with criminals.
The police chief also said the lack of resources affected their work. He said the city police last recruited in 2014, and they have 140 vacant positions in the force. Currently, Kanime said, the city police has 140 vacant posts.
“We have a strategy in place, but resources are not enough,” Kanime said, adding that although the city police has ten screens to monitor crime activities, they can only deploy three officers at any given time.
The ideal situation would require six officers to monitor the screens, Kanime added.
The police chief said the strategy is to cover all intersections with cameras to monitor robbers who might use routes that are not monitored.
“We last installed cameras in 2014, but the city has about 20 zones. Zones one to ten – Khomasdal and Katutura – have four patrol cars, while Zones 11 to 20 also have three to four cars at any given time,” Kanime said.
The ideal situation, Kanime said, is that each zone must have its vehicle so that the officers are visible and connected to the community. The force, too, he added, would save fuel by travelling shorter distances.
Kanime said, at the moment, that one officer is in charge of three zones instead of deploying an officer per zone.
He also said criminals had devised new ways of operating, unlike in the pre-Covid-19 period.
While the city police knew gangs that broke into houses, armed robbers and those who broke into vehicles, the post-Covid-19 era has brought these gangs to operate as one.
Smash and Grab Happening More Often Now
In the past week, Windhoek residents were shocked by two videos where criminals smashed cars and grabbed items in broad daylight.
One of the incidents happened in Dorado Valley, while the second occurred in Khomasdal.
The Khomas police commander, commissioner Ishmael Basson said smash and grab is not new to Windhoek, but the difference is that it is happening more often than not.
Basson said people should be careful when approaching traffic lights, particularly at peak hours in the afternoon.
Although Basson could not give statistics, he said they received daily reports.
“The region is not a crime hot spot. However, a surge in violent crime (robberies) has recently occurred without loss of life.
Basson said most of those who commit smash and grab crimes are aged between 16 and 25.
A man shot a 23-year-old man, a gang member who wanted to rob him on Friday night at Tora Street, Greenwell location.
The police, who identified the man as Matheus Erastus, said he was shot in the chest with a firearm when he and two other robbers tried to rob the suspect.
Basson said the shooter is not yet known, and even if the police identify him, they will effect an arrest. He said the docket would be sent to the Prosecutor-General’s Office.
The commissioner said the police would stop and search people sitting at traffic lights and make police visible.
“We call upon people to bank their money by doing so they will not create an opportunity of being robbed, as in most cases they are given away by people working for or with them in the whereabouts of this money,” Basson said.
NWR Raises Alarm
The Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) expressed concern with the increase in robberies, targeting tourists in and around Windhoek and the rest of Namibia.
In a statement on Sunday, NWR said current tourism arrivals data point to the recovery of the tourism industry and a return to pre-Covid numbers. “Demands for vehicle rentals are astronomical, showing great interest in self-drive tourism. Local guides will testify that tourists are interested in visiting areas such as Katutura and Single Quarters to experience the “Windhoek Life,” NWR spokesperson Nelson Ashipala said.
Ashipala said with the rise in robbery and theft cases, there is fear that these incidences of robbery and pickpocketing would bring negative publicity to Namibia.
“Reports of robberies and theft are negative and will only prevent many tourists from coming to our country, thus, in the final analysis hurting employment in the country and the economy,” Ashipala said.
He added that tourists love experience, and experience would mean engaging with the locals, going out for sundowners, jogging, and strolling through town and its beautiful attractions without fear of harassment.
NWR appealed to all responsible parties, including law enforcement agencies and all town and regional tourism officers, to put up strong measures that create a safe environment for the tourists.
“We also appeal to every citizen of Namibia to create a safe environment for our tourists and to be ambassadors of our great country,” Ashipala said.