Rundu
Operation Omake which was initially launched in Windhoek last November has been launched in Rundu as part of law enforcement officials’ efforts to reduce crime in the town.
Operation Omake aims at reducing crime by de-bushing identified crime-prone areas such as bush paths.
Volunteers, prison inmates and members of the police and the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) are expected to clear the bush in and around areas where criminals often dig in.
Speaking at the launch on Monday, Kavango East Governor Dr Samuel Mbambo said the operation marks a very significant day in Kavango East.
“The operation is a noble endeavour which is aimed at fighting crime which has become the order of the day in our country, and Kavango East is no exception,” Mbambo said.
Operation Omake was initiated after the double murder of two young sisters, whose bodies were found in a pool of blood in a riverbed near Elim Primary School in Khomasdal, Windhoek last November.
“We heard and watched this saddening event through the media. It is very painful that many innocent productive lives are lost through barbaric actions of those who do not care about others’ precious lives. The same concern is the escalation of gender-based violence and brutal killings of women and children as a result of the use of licensed and unlicensed firearms,” Mbambo further said. Mbambo believes Operation Omake is a clarion call to Kavango East Region to remind its inhabitants to stand up, starting from household up to community level.
He said criminals are waging a war to destroy the Namibian nation and destabilizing the existing peace that the country has enjoyed since the dawn of independence.
“Society will not prosper if the crime rate continues unabated because of the various effects and consequences that it has. Mainly we see an increased number of orphans, loss of parents, loss of breadwinners and most of all the loss of future leaders of this country,” he said. Mbambo further called on the people of the region to with equal vigour assist the victims of crime, and to prevent crime and eradicate the underlying social causes of crime, such as poverty and inequality.
“When it comes to crime prevention, few initiatives can have more significance than the one we are launching today and I’m emphasising that at the grass-roots level let us initiate more activities aimed at fighting crime. I believe if we are organised we can even apprehend the criminal before he/she causes harm to our society,” he said.
Operation Omake was launched last November by the Minister of Safety and Security, Charles Namoloh.
Omake is Oshiwambo/Otjiherero for “putting hands together”.
The operation is a joint effort between the Namibian Police, the City Police and the NDF to ensure there is no place for criminals in Namibia.