Old Mutual’s commitment to community crime prevention initiatives started in 2015 through a partnership with the City Police for the Community Games and continued in 2018 with the Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) Association of Namibia. This was done in collaboration with the Namibian Police to identify and capacitate struggling registered neighbourhood watches in Namibia with material and equipment they need to strengthen their community crime prevention efforts.
From 2018 to 2020, Old Mutual invested over N$450 000 towards the neighbourhood watch programme by purchasing CCTV cameras, razor-mesh fencing, uniforms, chargeable flashlights, entrance boards and magnetic stickers all sourced from local suppliers. This benefitted members of the various neighbourhood watches in the capital city.
In pursuit of its assurance to support various NHWs across Namibia, Old Mutual launched a NHW support initiative in June 2021 where they invited all registered NHWs and Community Policing Groups (CPG) across the 14 regions of the country to apply for sponsorship of equipment to the total value of N$80 000 to help fight crime in their respective communities.
A total of 63 applications were received from various regions with the lion’s share from the Khomas and the Erongo regions. After a rigorous shortlisting process, the NHWs and CPGs were trimmed to only 10. Thereafter, all shortlisted candidates were invited to conduct a 15 minutes presentation to a panel to further motivate their application. The panel consisted of external and internal judges who picked the final top three winners. The chosen NHWs were Kappsfarm NHW (Khomas), Aus Agri NHW (//Kharas), and Namib NHW (Hardap) where each was awarded material and equipment of their choice worth N$25 000.
Old Mutual further awarded consolation prices of N$2 500 each to the Smarties Okahandja NHW in the Otjozondjupa region and the Swakopmund Crime Stoppers.
This year, Old Mutual revised its support format to encourage entries from NHWs and CPGs across the 14 regions of the country. Any registered NHW that has not previously benefitted from sponsorships is encouraged to apply. Old Mutual will support five NHWs or CPGs quarterly, starting from March 2022 to February 2023 with equipment or material of their choice to the value of N$20 000.
Participants are requested to submit proof of registration of their neighbourhood watch with the regulatory authorities (NamPol and the Neighbourhood Watch Association), as well as an organogram with full names and contact details of its governing members. Applicants may include any recorded crime data, testimonials of their efforts, high crime areas, hotspots, etc. to strengthen their case.