By Petronella Sibeene
I was baffled when I read from one report that the police are actually saying it might take a minimum of seven years to capture the now famous ‘B1 Butcher’. In as much as I am itching to know who this person is, I actually did not realize that the nation would still be left in a shadow of confusion and helplessness for all this time.
We understand the situation in which our police find themselves –
perennial financial constraints have been cited over and again as the main stumbling blocks to finding culprits in such related cases.
But when we look at all the violence, the gruesome murders and all other tormenting activities in society, one does not need to be reminded that all that pleads for an answer and a quick end.
Forgive me, but I have to say that what is happening is compromising the security in the country. Criminals such as these must be traced and gotten rid of. We have our police force that has played its role all the years to ensure it maintained order in society. But Namibia today is not only faced with common criminals such as those who steal and rape.
Times are changing and today’s incidents, especially of the ‘Mr B1 Butcher’ type, bleeds for a multi-sectoral approach. We have heard that criminals such as these are intelligent but surely there should be someone out there more intelligent than this psychopath.
Namibia has three intelligence agencies – the police, military and national. Not going much into their specialties, their job is security and such killings are a matter of national security. The Namibian population is just too small for such a case to take that long. Perhaps the country has a large force with less expertise? Please do not get me wrong, but I am just trying to understand the situation just like many others out there…
Yes, lack of resources in any field can grossly affect operations. There are indeed many areas that need resource allocation, and the national budget surely cannot meet every national need. But if we can speedily source funds during times of flood and other national emergencies, I would think this too is an emergency.
Resources have to be mobilized. As the old adage goes, where there is a will, there is a way.
The national intelligence should through its networks help trace the Butcher. Surely, if they can get information from their sources on who is moving with diamonds and the likes, they could help in this case too.
Wisdom and direction could also be sourced from retired investigators. It might cost money but who knows, they might avail their services for free as good citizens.
If the country does not have the human resource capacity to deal with such a problem, Namibia is a member of many international organisations. May we request outside assistance, if that is what it takes. There is just no way Namibia can face such terror for the next seven years.
To ‘Mr B1 Butcher’ or whatever they call you, I have not lost my hope, my hope that one day you will unleash the mystery surrounding your behaviour. I hope it will be soon.
Eewa