Edward Mumbuu
Construction works of the state-of-the-art Kunene regional police headquarters in Opuwo are nearing completion at 75%, with the remaining 25% set for completion before January 2024.
At the moment, construction work has come to a standstill.
However, without going into details, Namibian Police commander in Kunene, commissioner James Karungoojo Nderura said the construction was halted by challenges between the contractor and government.
“The project is now 75% complete. We expect the remaining 25% to be completed by December 2023 so that in January next year, the office can be inaugurated to provide the community with the much-needed services,” he added.
Despite this optimism, he did not specify when exactly the construction work will resume.
Upon completion, the headquarters will provide ample space for the different police departments, while also bringing new services to the region’s residents. “At the moment, we are all housed in one small building, which makes work difficult. But once we move into the new office, there will be enough space for all. Even the CID unit will have their own space to focus on serious criminal investigations,” Nderura said.
The career officer continued: “The new office also has a vehicle clearance unit. It means people will no longer have to travel long distances to have their cars cleared. They will just do it here in Opuwo within a few hours. That in itself will be effective and efficient service delivery to the public.”
By June last year, the construction of the Kunene regional police headquarters – which commenced in January 2020 on a budget of N$65 million, with N$12.8 million already spent – was 45% behind schedule because of non-payment of contractors by the government.
“I don’t know what is wrong, but there is no progress and no work taking place on site at the moment. There is no electricity or water installed yet, and it has been like this since last year. Maybe there is no money to continue,” said a person with intricate knowledge of the project.
But these challenges have since been resolved, according to Nderura.
Numbers
At the moment, Kunene has 16 police stations, with over 1 000 officers.
Between 2016 and the present, the region recorded 11 936 criminal cases across all stations. The cases range from murder, rape, stock theft, drug trafficking and domestic violence.
The fact that there is no gazetted
border post between Kunene and Angola has exposed Kunene to cross-border criminal activities, particularly drug trafficking and stock theft, Nderura noted.
“Drug cases are worrisome, especially in urban areas like Khorixas, Outjo, Kamanjab and Opuwo. This crime has now infiltrated the villages in the Opuwo Rural constituency, where people exchange goats for drugs. We need to put in more effort in order to curb this. Most of the drugs are coming from our neighbouring country Angola, because we don’t have any gazetted border posts between Angola and Kunene,” he observed during a recent interview. The region has around 100 000 inhabitants, while its landmass is 115 293 square kilometres. What is apparent, statistics reviewed by New Era show, is that the town of Outjo appears to be a hotspot for criminals. At least 40% of the region’s total crimes were committed in and around the town since 2016.
In 2016, 1 573 criminal cases were registered by the police in the region. The following year, the figure reduced to 1 516, while 1 503 cases were reported in 2018. Meanwhile, 2019 saw a sharp decrease after only 1 205 cases were reported to the police. The figure would see a 73% increase in 2020, as the police recorded 2 095 cases. What is more, 2 274 criminal cases were opened in 2021, while 2 399 were recorded last year. So far this year, 576 cases have been opened with the police in the region.
-emumbuu@nepc.com.na