Namibian Police boss Joseph Shikongo has once again made a raft of changes at the top echelons of the force.
It is the second in the space of just seven months.
During the event, five commissioners were transferred to different regions, while inspectors were promoted to higher ranks.
Among the noticeable changes from yesterday’s exercise was the transfer of Khomas regional commander David Indongo to head of the special field force, while Willem Steenkamp was appointed as the new Khomas commander, having previously served as the head of the special field force.
In the police corridors, the switch is seen as a demotion for Steenkamp and a promotion for Indongo.
However, justifying his decisions yesterday, Shikongo said it was based on merit, length of service and academic achievements, rather than favouritism or nepotism.
He discouraged officers from writing letters demanding promotions, instead urging them to focus on their work and await their time.
“We are promoting people based on long-service, merits and academic achievements. We must not promote people based on favouritism or nepotism,” he said.
“Therefore, work hard; your destiny is yet to come. Stop writing letters demanding a promotion.”
The changes are effective from 1 July and 1 August, respectively.
Elsewhere, Andreas Haingura was transferred from the Omaheke to the Kavango East as regional commander, while Otjozondjupa’s top cop Heinrich Tjiveze was transferred to Omaheke, where he will occupy the regional commander’s position.
Meanwhile, Johanna Ndahafa Ngondo was transferred from Kavango East to Otjozondjupa to occupy the vacancy left by Tjiveze.
Promotions
There were also promotions on the day, as Johanna Fredrika Situde was appointed to head the gender and welfare directorate, while Cathrine Walaula was promoted to the rank of deputy commissioner and appointed as head of the gender-based violence protection division.
Additionally, Eimo Dumeni Popyeinawa was promoted to the rank of deputy commissioner and appointed as head of the high-profile investigations division.
Christiana Mpingana Iita was promoted to the rank of deputy commissioner and appointed as head of the former heads of state division, while Doreen Limota will head the traffic law enforcement sub-division in Zambezi.
Cleaning
On the same day, Shikongo also called for collaboration to achieve safer environments.
“We need to clean up the city, and together we can do it,” he emphasised.
Shikongo further called on his officers to try their level best to fight crime with the available resources.
“In most cases, you hear people complaining about resources. We even turned to members of the public, telling them that we don’t have a car, instead of telling them we are going to attend to them as soon as the vehicle is available. That must stop. In Windhoek, how can you tell people that there is no car?” he wanted to know.
To further bolster the police’s operations, Shikongo suggested reducing the number of administrative officers and directing more personnel to active operations.
He called for coordination among all involved parties to ensure successful operations, reinforcing the notion that their presence would guarantee the safety of society.
“Let us coordinate so that we make our operations successful. We can do it. Let us go out there, as our presence will assure the safety of society,” he said.
Photo: Shikongo
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