By Catherine Sasman GOBABIS The Gobabis Police, also serving as the headquarters of the Omaheke law and order forces, boasts a proud and sterling record in solving criminal cases. According to Acting Regional Commander, Rudolph Isaak, 70 to 80 percent of serious criminal cases are resolved successfully. Serving as the regional crime investigation coordinator of the Omaheke Region since 2000, he ascribed the success of the police force in the region to the sheer dedication and hard work of the members and a community willing to assist when requested. “One thing I must add of the communities and farmers in the region is that we can always rely on them for support; they always respond very positively,” said Isaak. The police again made the headlines when it tracked down and apprehended six armed robbery suspects allegedly responsible for a slew of bank robberies at Standard Bank branches in Windhoek, Okahandja and Gobabis. The police in the small cattle farming area embarked on a 25-hour hunt that took them into Botswana where they apprehended the suspects. The police returned triumphantly to the town, parading the captured suspects who are currently being held in the Central Prison in Windhoek awaiting trial. The serious crime unit deals mostly with robberies, assault and murder cases, sexual offences and domestic violence, illegal poaching and cattle-rustling. The region?s police force consists of 263 law-enforcers. The population size of the region is 68ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 039, which translates into a ratio of 1ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 109.9 residents to one police officer. Because 70 to 80 percent of the country’s cattle farming is in the Omaheke Region, stock theft is the biggest criminal activity. Isaak said at least 10 to 20 stock theft cases are reported every month, with up to 50 cattle or 100 small stock stolen at a time. A special unit was established to deal with this problem and, according to Isaak, it has been consistently successful in tracking down suspects because of an intricate intelligence network on the ground that often includes members of the public. Seventy percent of stock theft cases are resolved, said Isaak. Many cases are not successfully solved because not all stock can be recovered afterwards. The sentence for stock theft can be N$20ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 or 10 years imprisonment. Another area of concern is illegal poaching, which usually increases during May to the end of July. The police intend to intensify its anti-poaching campaign in tandem with the Nature Conservation Department of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) next week. According to Isaak, the police are “very successful” in solving rape and domestic violence cases. He claims 100% of the rape cases involving juvenile victims have been successfully concluded. A shocking 22 attempted rape or rape cases involving children under the age of 16 have been reported to the police between January and June. A concern, however, is the amount of cases withdrawn by women because the perpetrators are often the only breadwinners in the family. Or families contend to ‘pay off’ the victim or the victim’s family. The region, according to Isaak, has solved up to 80% of its murder cases. The region experienced a gruesome farm murder in 2001 when four people – man, wife and two adopted children – were killed. In 2004, one farm murder and one robbery on a farm were reported. Suspects in all these cases were successfully traced and incarcerated within a month or two. “I am proud to be part and parcel of the Omaheke Police,” said Isaak. His colleagues concur: “Don’t mess with the Gobabis Police,” some officers said in unison.