Aletta Shikololo

A surge in crime in the Rocky Crest residential area of Windhoek has raised concerns that it could soon challenge the unenviable title of the city’s most unsafe location.

Over the years, housebreaking and/or burglary has consistently been the most common crime experienced by households in the Rocky Crest area.

City Police chief Abraham Kanime said criminals target the area, because they can escape easily into the nearby bushes, riverbeds and mountains. 

“We have also observed that most houses that are broken into are those with no supervision. We always inform the public not to leave their houses unsupervised or, at least, they can inform us then we will regularly be on the lookout,” Kanime told New Era recently.

Supporting similar sentiments, City Police superintendent Johannes Emvula suspects that the new development of houses at Extension 4 could be contributing to the surge. “There are now quite a lot of movements in the area, and it is hard to tell if these are construction workers or burglars. Most of these crimes occur in the evening and the early morning hours,” he
said.

Emvula further stated that Klein Windhoek, Eros, Havana, and Okahandja Park have also recorded a high number of crimes lately.

Residents living in fear

“I don’t feel safe in my own home anymore,” said Simon Simon, a victim of housebreaking.

Simon, whose house in Rocky Crest has been broken into twice within four months last year, told New Era his family has been robbed of their freedom and they now live in fear every day.

“Your home is supposed to be your safe space but ours is quite different. We fear they will break in again anytime, and take our items or maybe even harm us,” he said.

His house was broken into in April last year when Simon and his family were out of town for a weekend. The culprits stole items worth more than N$40 000. A few months later, thieves broke into his house while the family was asleep at around 04h00.

“I think I was hypnotised because I didn’t hear them break in, but I somehow heard someone open the kitchen door. In the morning when I woke up, the main gate lock had been broken off, the electric fence was cut, and my home was ransacked and everything worth anything was stolen,” recalled Simon, adding that he eventually recovered a few items.

Simon is but one of many residents who have fallen victim to a crime that breaches the right to feel secure in your home.

Although crime has been prevalent in this area, statistics indicate a decrease of 18% in crime countrywide over the festive period covering December 2020 to January 2021 and December 2021 to January 2022.

Theft that usually ranks the highest on the statistics have decreased from 668 cases to 543 cases over the period under review. Housebreakings have decreased from 336 to 308; armed robbery from 140 to 124; theft under false pretence from 154 to 90; assault and grievous bodily harm 227 to 175.

However, a slight increase has been observed in cases of attempted murder that grew from two to six; and murder that increased from three to five.

Sharp rise in carjacking

Given the rise in carjacking, the City Police have warned motorists to be vigilant.

A recent incident, in which a female driver and her baby were carjacked in Windhoek, is a case in point. Six men who pretended to be police officers stopped her, pointed a gun in her face and assaulted her before driving off with the vehicle. 

The suspects were detained last Wednesday after a member of the public, who allegedly tried to buy the vehicle from the suspects, tipped off the police.

According to the police, the car’s battery, side mirrors, and other tools that were stripped off have been recovered.

Kanime said this rise should propel drivers to take extra care, if they do not already do so. 

“It is not always possible to prevent being carjacked, however, drivers should always be aware of their surroundings to prevent themselves from becoming victims,” he warned.

A fight against crime 

Kanime further said as the law enforcement, it is their mandate to prevent crime and disorder, but they are calling on members of the public to help combat this scourge together, saying: “If the public comes forth to report crime in their areas, the crime rate will keep decreasing”.

The police chief noted that the City is also working on a concept called ‘Community Policing and Problem-Solving’ to strengthen the relationship between the police and the community to combat crime.

“We will identify a working group in each area and discuss the types of crimes in their areas, find the causes of these crimes and come up with a strategy on how we can solve it,” he said.

Kanime added that the City is also busy with numerous operations to help curb crime in Windhoek.

- ashikololo@nepc.com.na

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