Staff Reporter
THE Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) recognised 989 correctional officers for long and dedicated service at a Long Service Medal Parade held at the Windhoek Correctional Facility.
The conferment of the medals follows approval by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, as is required by law.
A total of 989 Long Service Medals were on offer. They comprise 58 Gold, 295 Silver and 636 Bronze medals.
Of these, 300 medals were conferred during Thursday’s ceremony, while the remaining medals will be presented to eligible officers at various correctional institutions during the course of the current financial year.
Photos: NCS
According to an NCS statement, the medals are conferred in three categories:
– Gold is awarded to officers who, after 21 March 1990, have completed not less than 30 years of continuous qualifying service;
– Silver for not less than 20 years; and
– Bronze for not less than 10 years.
“Qualifying service rendered after 21 March 1990 in the Namibian Defence Force or the Namibian Police Force may also be considered by the Commissioner-General as service in the NCS,” the NCS said.
According to the NCS statement, the Long Service Medal is an important recognition of commitment, dedication and professionalism.
“It symbolises more than the passage of time, representing years of discipline, perseverance, loyalty and commitment to duty, as well as the officers’ contribution to advancing the mandate of the Namibian Correctional Service,” the Service said.
The NCS added that recipients have contributed to the safe and secure custody of offenders, their rehabilitation and successful reintegration as law-abiding citizens.
The Windhoek ceremony was attended by the Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Lucia Iipumbu, together with Commissioner-General Raphael T Hamunyela, who personally conferred medals on the 300 eligible officers serving at National Headquarters, the Central and Southern Regional Office, the Windhoek Correctional Facility and the Windhoek Female Correctional Facility.
The Commissioner-General will subsequently confer medals on eligible officers at other correctional institutions, with the programme continuing with presentations at the Walvis Bay and Swakopmund Correctional Facilities.
