Tsumeb
Construction of the police headquarters for Oshikoto Region in Omuthiya is said to be on track with 80 percent of the work already completed. But work on the administration block is lagging behind, while accommodation facilities and the charge office are finished.
This modern police headquarters is expected to house at least 500 staff members and will be classified as Class A, as it will be one of the biggest police stations in the region. It will comprise of a three-storey administration building, a police station with a jail, houses for senior and married staff, a police barracks and entertainment centre, among others.
“The magnitude of a police station and the quantity of its workforce determines how a station can be classified, including the number of crimes reported and handled at the police station,” stressed Commissioner Andreas Nelumbu, who is responsible for procurement and logistics of the multi-million-dollar capital project
Construction that started in 2014 is been undertaken by China Jiangxi International Namibia, and it is envisaged to be completed by August to mid-September this year, although an estimate cost of the project remains unknown.
“It is very difficult to give you the cost while the project is in progress, but we are aware of the estimate cost. There are contingencies involved whereby some avenues add components to initial project cost or maybe there is nothing to add at all, so all these will conflict if we happen to reveal the cost now. All the information will be given at the inauguration,” said Nelumbu.
The police’s administration is being relocated from Tsumeb to Omuthiya following the proclamation of Omuthiya as a town in 2008, making it the capital city of Oshikoto Region.
The only staff to remain in Tsumeb are those who were not attached to the head office.
“The charge office, staff accommodation and barracks are already complete and minor touches remain such as the connection of electricity and water,” said one police official who wished to remain anonymous as he is not allowed to speak to the media.
The contractor has assured them that by September everything will be finalized, and they could start moving furniture, and by end of October or November they can fully move in.