Niël Terblanché
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Security on a visit to police stations in Swakopmund found that prisoners and police officers have to live in terrible conditions.
Members of the committee visited the coastal town’s main police station as well as facilities in the Mondesa neighbourhood of Swakopmund.
The inspection started at the Mondesa police barracks where there are 21 single rooms for male and female officers as well as five family units.
The committee found that the facilities are in dire need of renovation.
Taps, showers, and toilets are out of washing basins, are damaged and falling off the walls. The Station Commander of the Mondesa police station, Hilma Uugwanga, told members of the committee that the officers serving under her are also in dire need of vehicles.
The police station serves the largest portion of Swakopmunds residents who stay in Mondesa, Tamariskia, the DRC Informal Settlement, and Matutura.
Budgetary constraints resulted in the situation where no new police vehicles were acquired since 2015 and those still in use, have been damaged by rust
Uugwanga said the station under her command also lacks sufficient storage space.
She told committee members that goods held as evidence in criminal cases are taking up space in the hallways, and boxes containing papers. She said dockets are piled up in small offices.
Besides all the challenges the police station is also understaffed.
Committee member, Vincent Mareka, complained about the inhumane conditions of the holding cells in which trial awaiting prisoners are kept at the police station.
He complained about the bad odor that hangs around the cells which also lack adequate lighting.
During the group of parliamentarians’s visit to the main police station of Swakopmund, Station Commander, Ruben Shapumba said the facilities under his control also face the same challenges as the one in Mondesa.
He complained the Swakopmund Police Station is short of staff and also in need of new vehicles.
He pointed out to committee members that work in the office part of the station is limited because of the dilapidated state of the building.
He said floors and walls are cracked and that the roof might collapse any day.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs, Safety and Security at the National Assembly visited the Erongo Region to oversee the activities of the Ministry of Defense and Veterans Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, the Namibian Central Intelligence Agency as well as other agencies that are dealing with security in the country such as the Department Correctional Services.
