Africa-Press – Namibia. CREATING a WhatsApp group to alert each other about suspicious movements and potential criminals in their neighbourhood is not enough. Preventing and combating crime requires “boots on their ground”.
This is according to Oshana regional police commander, Commissioner Naftal Lungumeni Sakaria.
He was speaking Friday during the handing over of equipment to fight crime to the neighbourhood watch group of Oshakati’s Extension 16.
The protective equipment was donated by Old Mutual to assist in fighting crime during the neighbourhood’s operations.
The donated equipment valued N$20 000 included pepper spray, handcuffs and torches.
Sakaria said that there are many neighbourhood watch groups in the region, but some use only their phones as a form of communication rather than being active on the ground.
“We are grateful of the efforts to warn each against crime, but effective operation can be carried out on the ground,” he said.
He requested the public to create structures to operate more easily in order to fight crime.
Oshakati Extension 16 is known as a “no go zone” for criminals and where residents went as far as requesting that their area to be fenced off, but the request was ignored by the relevant authorities.
Sakaria urged the members to make use of the equipment responsibly.
The chairperson of the neighbourhood watch Jackson Muma said crime-fighting requires collaboration from both the public and members of Namibian police.
Muma stated that the establishment of the neighbourhood watch is not to apprehend suspects, but to fight crime in the area.
The Oshakati Extension 16 neighbourhood was established in 2017, and has so far 45 members with operations occurring every day.
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