Endjala concerned about rising crime

TUYEIMO HAIDULAOSHAKATIOmusati governor Erginus Endjala has expressed concern about an alarming increase in crime in his region.Endjala, who said these crimes include but are not limited to assault, stock theft and burglary, attributed the worsening situation to alcohol and drug abuse.He made the remarks during his recent state of the region address, where he also said the region experienced an unprecedented surge of drug-related and wildlife crimes.Endjala said during the Covid-19 lockdown when the sale of alcohol was banned, common crimes were relatively rare.“The most prevalent common cases are assault due to drug and alcohol abuse, housebreaking with intent to steal and theft (mostly committed by criminals in conjunction with syndicates from other regions), fraud, and contraventions of the Liquor Act. Possession of cannabis is also on the increase,” he said.Gender violenceTouching on gender-based violence (GBV), Endjala said these crimes have been fluctuating due to the Covid-19 lockdown and stringent regulations on alcohol sales last year.He said gender-based violence cases sharply increased during last year’s lockdown. In 2020, the region recorded 614 cases of GBV, compared to 183 since the beginning of 2021.“These cases are attributed to either alcohol abuse or other social issues such botched marriages, broken family ties or failed relationships. Others include assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, assault by threat, common assault and rape,” Endjala said.In 2020, the region recorded 3 679 criminal cases from all its police stations.Of these cases, Outapi recorded the highest number of 1 085 cases, followed by Okahao with 801 and Onandjaba with 346 cases.The region has recorded 1 639 cases between January and May this year, with Outapi and Okahao still in the lead with the highest number of cases recorded.- tuyeimo@namibiansun.com

Endjala concerned about rising crime

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-22

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Endjala concerned about rising crime

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-22

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