The Erongo police have asked taxi drivers and bus operators to serve as informants in the battle against drug trafficking in the region.
Senior inspector Hilma Shomongula revealed this during a public engagement meeting with transport operators yesterday, where police and drivers discussed crime and safety amid challenges facing the sector.
Shomongula said operators could consider joining the police reservist programme.
"You can also become an informant where you give information to the police.
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You could receive rewards," she said.
She encouraged drivers to organise themselves into groups or a forum that could work directly with the police in addressing drug-related crimes.
"We are seeking your participation in fighting crime in the Erongo region.
We came up with this engagement because we noticed that there is a big gap between the police and public transport operators," she said.
She said drug trafficking remains a concern in the region and that public transport is often used to move drugs between towns.
"We have an issue with drugs in our region and most of them are transported by public transport," she said.
According to Shomongula, police seized drugs valued at N$2.5 million between October 2025 and February 2026.
She warned drivers to be cautious when accepting parcels for delivery.
"You get parcels and you do not know what the consignment is or whether it is legal. If we find it to be illegal, we will not look for the person who sent it, but the driver who is in possession of it," she said.
She advised drivers who suspect parcels may contain illegal items to report the matter to the police.
A taxi driver, Tylves Uushona, says taxi drivers are vulnerable to attacks while working.
"We are prohibited from carrying weapons or objects like knobkerries in our cars in case we are attacked, but thieves are walking around with their weapons," he says.
Uushona says he had previously reported incidents to the police but felt that their responses were sometimes slow.
"There was a time I called the police about a man walking around in the streets with a bottle and a knife. Hours later I saw the same man. The police had done nothing," he says.
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He adds that drivers report crime but feel their reports are not always acted on.
