Collen Kurana
Namibia is ranked on the Global Peace Index (GPI) as one of the most peaceful countries in the world. This means Namibia is a stable and peaceful country that has not actively engaged in interstate and internal conflicts.
Peace is generally understood as freedom from disturbances or the period when there is no war, while fear of crime refers to the fear of being a victim of crime as opposed to the actual probability of being a victim of crime. In peace and conflict studies, peace is categorised as negative or positive. The latter means the promotion of attitudes, institutions and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies, while the former means the absence of violence or war.
Fear of crime is an element of negative peace. The absence of internal disorder or war does not mean there is absolute peace among people. Currently, the city of Windhoek is bombarded with violent crimes. These range from robbery with aggravated circumstances to assault with intent to cause bodily harm.
Businesses, students and ordinary residents, regardless of day or night, have been targeted by criminals. Around 2017, the City of Windhoek was earmarked as a crime city, following more incidences of robbery against tourists and affluent suburbs.
According to local media reports, City of Windhoek police received 359 cases of robberies in 49 days – between 27 June 2022 and 14 August 2022 – an average of seven crimes per day.
These crime statistics have sent shockwaves among the residents about being victimised. Fear of crime is an aspect of negative peace that jeopardises tranquillity and development in a society.
Itcausesemotionalandpsychological trauma for people, and it could potentially deter business investments. Many times, people who engage in criminal activities point to socio-economic factors, such as poverty and unemployment, as contributing factors.
However, these are not legitimate means to make ends meet. I believe that the city of Windhoek has the potential to develop and attract investments. Therefore, urgent efforts are needed by both the private and public sectors to team up and coordinate efforts and resources in areas such as technology to tackle crime in the city of Windhoek.
For businesses to make proper profits, they need to operate in a peaceful and stable environment. Hence, fear of crime jeopardises Namibia’s status as a peaceful country.
*Collen Kurana is a PhD student in Peace Studies at the Durban University of Technology.