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== The Namibian Police Force ==

The Namibian Police Force was established on the 21 March 1990 on the day of the Independence of the Republic of Namibia. It was formed in accordance with the Police Act of 1990 of the Namibian Police Force. Article 118 of the Namibian Constitution make provision for the establishment of the Namibian Police Force with prescribed powers, duties and procedures in order to secure the internal security of Namibia and to maintain law and order. It’s headed by the Inspector General of the Namibian Police Force and he is appointed by the President of the Republic. His duties is to make provision for balanced structuring of the Police Force and is having the power to make suitable appointments to the Police Force, to cause charges of indiscipline among members of the Police Force to be investigated and prosecuted and to ensure the efficient administration of the Police Force. The President may remove the Inspector -General of the Namibian Police from office for good cause and in the public interest and in accordance with provisions of any act of Parliament which may prescribe procedures considered to be expedient

for this purpose.The Namibian Constitution(2010)§ 

The image of Inspector General of the Namibian Police Force POLICING is an old concept dating back to the era of ancient societies. The concept came about as a result of the formation of hierarchies in those societies. Those in power saw the need for order and peaceful co-existence of their subjects; hence, a mechanism to maintain law had to be found and that is how policing came about.

Policing in Namibia has come a long way, dating back to the days when some of the German Kaiserliche Schutztruppe were entrusted with the responsibilities of policing the then Deutsch Sudwestafrika on 1st March 1905.

As the country became a host of different colonial masters, policing has changed hands. The South Africans took over the policing role after they invaded the territory during the First World War.

When South Africa took over the ruling of the country, then Southwest Africa, it continued policing the country by putting up structures that were mainly controlled by the South Africa Police (SAP). The South Africa Police started to train black indigenous as Police Officers to help in enforcing law and order. Many Namibians were trained at various police institutions in South Africa.

In the ‘80s, the Swapo Party, which was fighting for the independence of Namibia soon realized how its population was growing from strength to strength and began of selecting some of its members to be trained as police officers. The purpose was to start policing the exiled Namibians who were scattered in camps in Angola and Zambia. Therefore, a group of men and women were send to the Republic of Tanzania in order to be trained as police officers.

After the attainment of Namibia’s independence, the Police Act, Act 19 of 1990, was enacted and signed into law by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Namibia Dr Sam Nujoma on 26 November 1990 and published in the Government Gazette No. 83 of 1990. Since then, 26 November is commemorated as the Namibian Police Day. The Force was then established mainly with men and women drawn from former South West African Territorial Force (SWATF), South West Africa Police Counter-Insurgency Unit (Koevoet) and Plan fighters. It was not easy to bring these once sworn enemies together into a coherent Force which had to fulfill one task, that of protecting and serving all people in Namibia. Thanks to the policy of national reconciliation and the rigorous concept of discipline that is a norm in any uniform. Prime Focus Magazine (2010).

The Namibian Police Force has changed from the Commonwealth style of marching to the Russian drill o marching style.

A brief background of Namibia, it is a vast sparsely populated country situated along the south Atlantic coast of Africa. It is the 34th Country in the World and stretches for about 1300 KM from the South to North and varies from 480 to 930 KM in Width from west to east. Namibia, was previously known as South west Africa, it is bordered by South Africa in the south, Angola and Zambia in the North and Botswana and Zimbabwe in the east. The Country is demarcated into 13 regions, Caprivi, Kavango, Kunene, Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshana, and Oshikoto regions in the north, Omaheke,Otjozondjupa, Erongo and Khomas in the Central areas and the Hardap and Karas regions in the south. The Namibia Police Force National Headquarters is based Windhoek the Capital city of the Republic. It has a total of 182 Police Station across the country, which includes 14 Satellite Stations, 18 border posts and 14 Criminal Investigations Units .The Police Force is based on the British model of policing with additional expertise to Nampol supplied by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Abbotsford Police in British Colombia, Canada.

The mission statement of the Namibian Police Force is • To preserve the internal security of Namibia. • To maintain law and order

• To Investigate any offence or alleged offence

• To prevent Crime

• To protect the lives and properties of Namibian Citizen

The Namibian Police Force current strength is approximately around -+ 14800 members including civilian components. Its recruitment procedure is done fairly and transparent annually and mostly each of the 7 ethnic groups is found within its structures. It has mostly all types of professions from Pilots to crime preventions officers. Its salary structures are one of the second best in the southern African Community Countries (SADC). It is usually recruit most of the matriculates who did not manage to further study their education on tertiary level. The basic Police training usually do take up to 6 months at the 3 Police Colleges in Country. In order to be recruited in the Namibian Police Force one have to 18 years or older and in possession of a grade 12 certificate and physically and mentally fit.

The Police Force is well equipped with 2 modern helicopters usually being utilized for rescuing in time of floods and for hiring to various businesses Community within the Country.

The instructor at its Colleges is mostly trained in the Country by Seniors Instructors who are most of the time trained in South Africa and overseas. The Force has talented sport men and women that keep the name of Namibian Police Force high locally and internationally in various sport codes, to mentioned a few of the well know sport personality in the Force former World boxing Moses Hetman Paulus and long distance runner Olympian Beata Niigambo.

The Namibian Police Force there to serve the Namibian Nation and co-operate with Intentional Police Forces at all time.

References:

www.Ombudsman.org.na

Prime Focus Magazine (2010)

GRNnet.gov.na