Omaheke police commander, Commissioner Heinrich Tjiveze has urged station commanders in the region to coordinate efforts to cover all gaps and ensure services are not affected.
He advised that they liaise with neighbouring stations in instances where their vehicle/s are not available, and that each station should be on standby to assist the other to ensure continuity and uninterrupted service delivery.
“We will not be enough as police to cover all loopholes in this region. Therefore, we need to coordinate and work together as police and the community to close the gaps that exist between us in order to curb crime,” he said.
The regional commander said criminals exploit available gaps between police and community efforts, and thus encouraged partnerships and formation of forums, neighbourhood watches, and other groups to fight and control various social ills in the region.
Tjiveze urged the police to deal with issues as reported for as long as there are possibilities to attend to them, a culture he is trying to inculcate into the members.
He was speaking during a four-day campaign, which divided the region into two clusters to address the scourge of stock theft.
Dismissing the general community perceptions that police officers are not working, the regional commander pointed out that the Gobabis police station cells, which were built for only 60 people, have more than 200 inmates.
“How are police not working?” he asked, adding that the police are from the community and for the community, while the criminals are from the community but against the community.
“Therefore, the community should be assured of the police’s full support,” he said.
Over the years, farmers in the Omaheke region have lost livestock due to stock theft, an act that continues to cause huge financial losses and negatively affects the livelihoods of the farming communities.
During the engagements, farmers narrated various instances of unsatisfactory case handling, police absence from the stations, unavailability of official vehicles, and general police conduct in society.
Some farmers voiced disappointment and loss of trust in the people entrusted with restoring law and order in society.
On this, Tjiveze said when genuine complaints are directed at police officers, investigations are carried out and informed decisions taken against officers found guilty, giving reference to the entire stock theft unit in Gobabis which was dissolved and reformed.
Meanwhile, police national spokesperson Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi advised farmers to develop good relations with their workers so that when they go separate ways, the former workers do not plot evil against them.
She said statistics have shown that former and current farmworkers sometimes steal livestock from their employers.
In 2023, Omaheke reported 399 cases of stock theft, from which 364 arrests were made while in 2024, 365 cases were reported and 319 arrests were made. She remarked that they anticipate reductions in stock theft cases.
Tjiveze expressed appreciation to local farmers’ associations for investment into closed circuit television cameras installed at most road junctions, saying it is very helpful.
He made a call to many others who are able, to invest in similar technologies.
*Julia Kamarenga is an information officer in the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology in Omaheke region.