Denver Isaacs
18 April 2008
Windhoek — Over crowiding in Police holding cells and prisons needs to be addressed, newly appointed Safety and Security Minister, Nicky Iyambo, said yesterday.
Speaking during a visit to some of the institutions now under his care, Iyambo expressed concern and promised progress in the Ministry's ongoing battle with crime, overcrowded prisons and a lack of resources.
He visited the Katutura and Wanaheda Police stations, and sections of the Windhoek Central Prison. Iyambo said the overcrowding would have to be addressed by both the Police and the judicial system. The Wanaheda Police station, with a capacity to hold 170 prisoners, has 259 trial-awaiting prisoners locked inside.
Of these, 13 are juveniles, 15 women, and five are illegal immigrants.
Only the Police station in Windhoek has facilities to house juvenile offenders and women.
The Katutura Police Station's holding cells held 87 trial-awaiting prisoners yesterday, although officers there told the Minister that the number frequently exceeded 100.
The station's official capacity is 80 prisoners.
The Windhoek Central Prison was yesterday home to 1 172 prisoners, way above its official capacity of 912 prisoners.
"This situation is costing the State a lot in terms of water, food and electricity," Iyambo said, adding that he was worried that the overcrowding meant Namibia was not within agreed international norms.
"Unfortunately there is nothing we can do.
We have to keep people who commit crime somewhere," he said.
He said he would appeal to the judiciary to not unnecessarily postpone cases for technical reasons.
While such delays might mean more money in the pockets of lawyers, it was simply becoming too costly for the State.
Another concern shared by the Minister was that the year 2010 was fast approaching, and with it the inevitability of a large number of international visitors who could add strain to the already stretched Police force.
"We're looking at the African Nations Cup to be held in Angola, and the [soccer] World Cup in South Africa.
A lot of people are expected here, among them will be some unwanted elements.
We will need to beef up our manpower before that," Iyambo said, reflecting on the staff statistics given to him.
For one, the Wanaheda Police station, with only 159 officers, serves approximately 170 000 people.
It was reported that this is about one third of the needed staff complement.
The Katutura Police Station has 150 officers, although the recommended number is 250.
One area in which the Police were starting to see some progress, the Minister was told by staff at Wanaheda, was in the new concept of community policing.
Police visits to schools and churches in the area were said to help reduce crime in the surrounding areas, they said.
The Katutura station has had less success in this regard, with Police complaining to the minister that requests for visits to schools were often ignored.
Iyambo promised to take this up with the Minister of Education.
"Looking at the Wanaheda cells where I just visited, it is clear that most of the prisoners being kept there are between 17, 18 and 19.
These are kids that should be in school," he said.
Following the Minister's visit to the Windhoek Central Prison, he promised staff there that he would address their lack of vehicles, needed for transporting trial-awaiting prisoners to and from court in various regions.
The prison has only two vehicles for this purpose - they were bought two years ago and both have very high mileage.
He also expressed concern over information that 50 prisoners on Anti-Retroviral (ARV) treatment are transported out of the prison yard on any given day to receive treatment at external clinics.
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