“Community Policing and GBV” course concluded
UK funded five-day course “Community Policing and GBV” concluded at Patrick Iyambo Police College in Windhoek.
Course participants with High Commissioner Marianne Young, course facilitators and Senior officers of Nampol
On Friday, 13 February 2015, HE Marianne Young, British High Commissioner, and NamPol Deputy Inspector-General for Administration, Major-General Desiderius Shilunga, closed a 5 day course for over 20 Namibian police officers and neighborhood watches at the Patrick Iyambo Police College. The course focused on “Community Policing and Gender-Based Violence. The course was being conducted by British experts Sally Crown and Neville Blackwood from the College of Policing, Bramshill, UK, and was funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office through its bilateral fund to the amount of 180.000 N$.
The course covered a wide range of topics, among them special training on: - the nature of gender-based violence and its impact on the victim, family and wider community - why gender-based violence is a police responsibility - how to address the needs of victims, including where to go for support and advice - how to risk assess and safety plan - how to respond effectively to allegations of abuse - crime scene management, investigative interviewing, allocation of resources, case preparation and - the importance of working in partnership with other law enforcement agencies (prosecution, courts, prisons), social care, health etc.
At the closing, the British High Commissioner, HE Marianne Young said: “British support in this key area also touches upon another of our key UK human rights priorities: promoting women’s rights. Throughout 2014, British Prime Minister David Cameron has called for special action towards ending violence and discrimination against women and girls at the same time as your own President Hifikepunye Pohamba launched his own strong mission to curb high local levels of gender based violence. The British High Commission and Nampol have therefore responded to the calls made by our two governments by combining the fight against Gender Based Violence and the drive to integrate Community Policing and Neighborhood watches on the grassroots level in all corners of Namibia.”
See the full speech here:
The UK has been assisting and funding Community Policing projects in Namibia since 2011. The pilot project was done in Windhoek, which proved extremely successful. By 2013, crime figures in the areas of operation had dropped by 30% since the introduction of community policing practices.