Spotlight: putting ISS' crime prevention expertise to work in Namibia

ISS and the Namibian police are developing an inclusive national crime prevention strategy.

Published on 25 January 2018 in Impact

Doing more with less has become a familiar refrain for many police services in Africa and across the world. Despite inadequate budgets and growing populations, police across the continent are expected to maintain or improve public safety and prevent crime. Without the option of putting more boots on the ground, what can be done to reduce crime effectively?

For Namibia that means finding ways to leverage existing resources to address the root causes of crime and becoming less reliant on the criminal justice system to improve public safety. 

‘It also means bringing communities, civil society and other government departments into the public safety and crime prevention conversation,’ says Gareth Newham, head of the Justice and Violence Prevention Programme at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). ‘There needs to be new constructive partnerships in order for any crime prevention strategy to succeed.’

In 2017 following a competitive process, the Namibian police contracted the ISS to assist with developing a national crime prevention strategy. ‘The Namibian police are keenly aware of their crime challenges and that an integrated national strategy is necessary to improve public safety.

This is a unique opportunity to share ISS' knowledge and experience with the Namibian police

The new project will involve consultations with a variety of stakeholders from across each of Namibia’s 14 regions. The aim is to get a nuanced understanding of the crime challenges and their causes at grass roots level so that appropriate interventions can be identified to improve public safety. ISS expertise about innovative crime prevention programmes that have worked in South Africa and elsewhere, will be key to this project.

Informed by evidence from research and consultations, a draft national crime prevention strategy will be presented to the Namibian police later this year.

‘This is a unique opportunity to share ISS’ knowledge and experience with the Namibian police about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to crime prevention and promoting public safety in the African context. We look forward to working in a partnership with Namibia on this important initiative,’ says Newham.   

 For more information contact:

 Gareth Newham, ISS: +27 82 887 1557, [email protected]