WINDHOEK – Police presence at the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court increased as from Wednesday this week, with members of the public now being subjected metal detector searches when entering the court premises. Prisoners are also searched before entering the holding cells.
This came two days after Andre Dausab, who is accused of murdering a 32-year-old trainee pastor from Botswana, punched Allgemeine Zeitung photographer, Marc Springer, with a vicious blow behind the ear as he was exiting the court.
However, Deputy Commissioner Edwin Kanguatjivi of the Police Public Relations Division informed New Era that the heavy police presence and the searching had nothing to do with the attack. “No, I would not say so,” he said, adding that there is a problem with prisoners bringing dangerous items into the cells.
He explained that it was decided at management level that as a result of the dangerous items being in prison cells, prisoners have to be searched when they are arrested as well as before they enter the cells.
Last week New Era reported about a trial-awaiting detainee at the Windhoek Police Station being caught with 30g of marijuana valued at N$90. Festus Nambinga was already in custody on a charge of shoplifting. The drugs were found on him when he was searched before boarding the police vehicle on the way to court.
By Tunomukwathi Asino