Omega 1
Omega residents witnessed the official inauguration of a police station in their settlement last week Friday. The police station will serve the surrounding areas in the Bwabwata National Park in Mukwe Constituency, Kavango East Region.
Omega Police Station is located at Omega 1 settlement in the Bwabwata National Park, 20 km east of Divundu. Its construction started last year and was completed earlier this year at a cost of N$61 million. It consists of an interview room, doctors’ consulting room, a gender-based violence section, police houses, barracks and fuel station.
Namibian Police Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga said at the event how police officers deployed in the Bwabwata area, especially at Omega 1, slept and worked in bad conditions. “I visited them maybe twice where they were operating from,” said Ndeitunga, adding that the force is currently working to improve the living and working conditions of police officers.
“Police officers, as you move into this new facility, move in with new ideas, new attitudes to be able to work for the people and give services to the people because without people this station would not have been established. It’s built to serve the communities around it, and as the community you must respect the officers and work together,” said the Minister of Safety and Security (Rtd) Major-General Charles Namoloh, who inaugurated the facility.
Ndeitunga further stated that the police station is strategically located as it serves the Trans Caprivi-Zambezi Highway, which is a corridor to other SADC countries of Angola, Zambia and Botswana. “It will serve our tourists, visitors, as they now have a police station where they can stop and ask questions on how to travel, or any assistance. In the past the service was very far for the communities living around here and now the service is here at their doorsteps – what a wonderful service of the government,” Ndeitunga said.
Furthermore, Ndeitunga urged community members to join hands with the police to fight crime in the area. “You should join the efforts of the Namibian Police Force to ensure safety and security collectively. The offices are yours and as police we are there as your servants – we will always use a customary way of welcoming you in the offices, which are yours, and you police officers should be true, honest and objective civil servants,” he said.