Taimi Haihambo 

 OSHAKATI – In a move to improve how police officers respond to people with mental health challenges, Oshakati Regional Police on Monday launched a three-day training for 40 officers. 

The goal is to help officers better understand mental illness and how to safely and respectfully handle such situations.

The training comes after several worrying incidents, where mentally ill individuals and officers were harmed during operations. 

Regional police commander Commissioner Naftal Lungameni said that, since he took over in 2022, there have been three major cases that raised concern.

“In one case, an officer shot a mentally ill person during an operation. In another incident, two officers were seriously injured when a patient attacked them with a panga. That patient was later shot in the leg. The third case involved a patient who broke an officer’s arm. The officer had to stay in the hospital for two weeks,” said Lungameni.

He stressed the importance of the training, saying, “This is a serious issue, and that is why we want to equip our officers to deal with it better”.

Most of the trainees are from the police reserve force, as they often handle such cases. 

Lungameni noted that Oshakati is one of the regions with the highest number of mentally ill individuals and the largest ward where they are treated.

“Sometimes, these patients sneak out of the hospital. When that happens, they can get aggressive, and our officers are the first to respond. This is the reason why we cannot wait for top leaders to start such programmes. We are taking the lead because prevention is better than cure,” he added.

The training is conducted by the Circle of Hope Academy and will end tomorrow.

-taimihaihambo2000@gamil.com.na