Rise in crime requires concerted efforts to prosecute: AG

Attorney General (AG) Festus Mbandeka on Monday said the increase in the number of crimes recorded over the past two years, requires the need to attain efficiency and effectiveness in the prosecution of crimes.

These crimes range from femicide, sexual violence against women and children, trafficking in persons and murder.

Mbandeka while addressing a meeting for Public Prosecutors from all 14 regions in the country at Swakopmund said the Namibian Police Force reported earlier this year that statistics on criminal cases reported between 2021 and 2022 showed an increase of about seven per cent.

This would require the Office of the Prosecutor-General (PG) to operate at an optimal level to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of criminal justice, he said.

‘The Prosecution Authority’s role and contributions to the maintenance of law and order and administration of justice cannot be understated as you are also responsible for keeping Namibia safe, fighting corruption and ensuring that justice is done a
nd restored to victims of crimes,’ he said.

The AG further called on participants to engage at all levels and take stock of the experiences, opportunities and challenges in the discharge of their duties.

In her remarks, PG Martha Imalwa advised that in order to find solutions to issues hampering effective prosecution, there is a need to first determine the causes.

‘Like in any other country, crime in Namibia has taken a different turn from the normal housebreaking and other petty theft to bigger and more sinister crimes which are emerging. These crimes have become transnational, hence the need to deliberate on ways to eliminate these crimes,’ she stressed.

During the five-day meeting, the Public Prosecutors and PG’s office will deliberate issues relating to the functions of the Public Prosecutors in Namibia and discuss various operational issues around the execution of the mandate of the PG as well as reflect on various achievements and challenges recorded by the office, among others.

The meeting is taki
ng place under the theme: ‘Fostering Effective and Efficient Prosecution of Crime.’

Source: Namibia Press Agency