Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Namibian Police are worried about the disappearance of about 90 firearms and ammunition from the police depot in Windhoek last week, especially because at this stage they have no idea in whose hands these arms and bullets have ended up.
It’s not clear exactly what types of guns disappeared, however, sources indicate that the police were allegedly trying to keep the incident a secret. “I don’t know who the source is who told you that it’s about 90; if that’s the case then it’s really a serious concern. Our investigation is still ongoing to determine how much ammunition was taken, but I really don’t have that figure at the moment,” police spokesperson Kauna Shikwambi told The Namibian yesterday.
The police are concerned that the stolen guns could potentially be used to conduct criminal activities, especially with the festive season approaching.
“Very worrisome indeed, especially at this stage of not knowing in whose hands these arms and ammunition have landed and what their intentions are,” Shikwambi said.
Criminals are some of the happiest people on earth over the festive season, Shikwambi said, because they use every possible opportunity to steal, break in, rob and cause personal harm.” However, she assured that the police were investigating the matter.
“I can’t tell you the possible cause at this stage because only the investigations will determine what and when it happened, who was involved, was it a break-in, and so on. We are still trying to figure out if it was a once-off incident or if it happened gradually,” Shikwambi said.
She added that the police will make sure the suspects are brought to book. “The nation needs to be vigilant, extra cautious and smart so as to avoid being the victim of a crime. Let us all ensure that you and your family are safe at all times,” she said.
Police chief Sebastian Ndeitunga has given officials until today to provide him with an incident report, explaining how the 90 firearms disappeared, sources said.
Ndeitunga, however, denied knowledge of the missing guns to The Namibian yesterday. “I am coming from the farm. There is no network here. Nobody reported it to me. Talk to Kauna (Shikwambi) who has been in Windhoek,” he said yesterday.
Ndeitunga revealed in September that Namibia recorded 453 cases of attempted murder with firearms, 919 cases of firearm pointing, and 380 cases of firearm theft in the past three years.
He said these statistics illustrate a slight increase in robbery with aggravating circumstances, which has a negative impact on Namibia socially and economically.
In 2019, the police said at least 301 guns were stolen since 2018. The then police spokesperson Edwin Kanguatjivi said most of these firearms were stolen during house-breakings or from cars.
At the time, Kanguatjivi said the negligence of firearm owners was very concerning as it did not adhere to the rules of firearm safe-keeping. The disappearance of last week’s weapons coincided with an amnesty given to people in possession of illegal firearms and ammunition in Namibia in September.
The amnesty month was launched by the minister of home affairs, immigration, safety and security, Albert Kawana. The one month grace period was instituted to surrender all unlicensed firearms, armaments and ammunition to the police without being prosecuted.
Namibia has over the years struggled to control the availability of guns. Years ago, Pauline Dempers, a former council member of Nangof Trust who had been lobbying for tighter gun control, described the number of licenses issued as unreasonably high and “creating armies in our houses”?
She said considering the country’s population of 2,5 million, issuing 14 720 licenses in 24 months was unacceptably high. “It fuels domestic violence, people are intimidated [and] people are killing themselves because guns are easily available,” she added.
Dempers said the main problem with gun ownership is that the Arms and Ammunition Act of 1996 is lax, but the council was working on amendments to stem the shortcomings. The disappearance of weapons from the police central depot is allegedly one of several irregular instances in the police force.
The media have in the past reported on various concerns with regards to the contract to install spy cameras, which was allegedly inflated from N$3,5 million to N$12,3 million.
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