Complaints taken seriously, police say

The Namibian police, in response to a recent Afrobarometer survey on the public's opinion of the police force in Namibia, stated that they take complaints against the police seriously.

"When cases are brought against the police, whether it is one, ten or hundreds, it is an indication that there are inappropriate and unprofessional elements among police officers, and these are elements that management constantly addresses to restore professionalism among our officers," deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi said.

She said there has been a noticeable decrease in the number of cases against the police in recent years.

"One case brought against the police is one too many; therefore, as an organisation, we strive to continually improve by sharpening our officers' knowledge of our police code, ethics and code of conduct, as well as promoting competence through the implementation of strategies and training for the public," Shikwambi said.

In the line of duty

However, she said the pursuit of professional conduct is not more important than the primary mandate of law enforcement.

"It should be noted that when the police use the necessary power to successfully carry out their duties, it cannot be considered unprofessional conduct. The good conduct of the officers outweighs the bad. There are many successes in our efforts to prevent crime, which includes the detection and investigation of crime," said Shikwambi.

According to Shikwambi, police officers are encouraged to act as professionally as possible.

"The use of unnecessary force and/or violence during any crime prevention operations against members of the public or police officers is discouraged, and provocation and lawlessness will serve no purpose between the public and the police," she said.

– [email protected]