Staff Reporter
THE Namibian Police’s (NamPol) Inspector General, Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo, has expressed concern about the prevalence of crime in the country, revealing that theft incidents have topped the list of crimes since November.
“Despite the progress made in the development of the Force thus far, the country is still experiencing a high prevalence of crime. From November 2023 to September 2024, statistics show that theft is topping the list with 17,374 incidents, followed by Assault GBH with 10,328, Common Assault with 10,137, Residential Housebreaking with 8,637, Robbery with 6,283, and Theft of Cell Phones with 6,138, among others,” Shikongo revealed.
He made these remarks during the promotion of officers and the conferment of ranks, where a total of 2,990 officers were promoted. Of those, 1,342 are women and 1,648 are men. Shikongo highlighted that these promotions are a recognition of the officers’ dedication and hard work in fulfilling their national duties.
The Inspector General encouraged the officers to continue focusing on crime prevention and to develop innovative strategies and tactics to ensure that the Namibian Police Force, in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies and stakeholders, remains effective in modern policing.
“The higher you go, the more responsibilities you take on, but above all, you will be expected to oversee the work of others in serving and protecting our communities and the general public from criminals. It is therefore expected of all promoted officers to always perform your duties to the best of your ability and to be accountable to the laws, authorities, and people of this land at all times. You should always maintain a high level of professionalism, to be assets, not liabilities, to the organisation,” Shikongo said.
