African Police Resource Network

Namibia

Country Background
Namibia is a multi-party democracy which gained its independence (from South Africa) in March 1990, with Sam Nujoma of the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) becoming president.  Sam Nujoma was re-elected president in 1994 and again in 1999 with SWAPO winning two-thirds majority in Parliament in 1994 and increasing this majority in 1999.  Elections held in 2005 resulted in the appointment of Hifikepunye Pohamba as president.

Namibia Police
The Namibian police force (NAMPOL) is headed by an Inspector General of Police who is answerable to the Minister of Home Affairs.  NAMPOL is a centralised force composed of a regional command structure reporting to the Inspector General. NAMPOL also consists of a paramilitary unit – the Special Field Forces or SFF – which carries out public order maintenance and guarding and checkpoint duties.     

Extract from:

Berg, J. (2005) Police Accountability in Southern African Commonwealth Countries. Cape Town: Institute of Criminology

Please find a list of all documents in our database relevant to Namibia. Use the checkbox next to each line to expand more detail about the file, including the option to download.

Category	Date	Title	Detail
Country Websites	2007	The World Factbook: Namibia
Description: Uptodate information giving an overview of the country, its geography, demographics, government, economy, communications, transportation and military. A map is included. Author: Central Intelligence Agency Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/wa.html
Legislation	1992	The Constitution of the Republic of Namibia
Description: Relevant Chapters include: Chapter 10 The Ombudsman; Chapter 13The Public Service Commission; Chapter 14 The Security Commission as well Chapter 15 which deals with the establishment of the Police Force: CHAPTER 15 The Police and Defence Forces and The Prison Service Article 115 Establishment of the Police Force There shall be established by Act of Parliament a Namibian police force with prescribed powers, duties and procedures in order to secure the internal security of Namibia and to maintain law and order. Article 116 The Inspector–General of Police (1) There shall be an Inspector–General of Police who shall be appointed by the President in terms of Article 32 (4)(c)(bb) hereof. (2) The Inspector–General of Police shall make provision for a balanced structuring of the police force and shall have 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. Article 117 Removal of the Inspector–General of Police The President may remove the inspector–General of Police from office for good cause and in the public interest and in accordance with the provisions of any Act of Parliament which may prescribe procedures considered to be expedient for this purpose. Source: http://www.orusovo.com/namcon/constitution.pdf
Networks	2007	The Namibian Police Force
Description: The official website for the Namibian Police Force "This web page will serve to inform the public as to the functions of the Police Force. As well as a method of providing crime prevention information to the public." The homepage contains information on: • A map of the police stations • The Regional and National Structure of the Namibian Police • The Mission statement by the Inspector General • The Israel Patrick Iyambo Police College – Career guidance: Nampol – The rank structure and chain of Command of Nampol – The functions of the Namibian Police – Recruitment and Appointments – Procedures during General recruitment – Courses offered – Specialized units – Uniform branch – Other Divisions – Service Requirements – Benefits – Promotions – Additional Privileges • Divisions – Units & Ranks within the Namibian Police Force • A brief history • Crime prevention advice • and contact details Source: http://www.nampol.gov.na/
Publications	2000	Policing Africa: Internal Security and the Limits of Liberalization
Description: "Case studies of models of policing in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Namibia, Somalia, Uganda, and Zaire offer a prism from which to view state–society relations in 1990s Africa, where political power has been closely tied to the role of the police. Hills explores the little–studied impact of steps toward liberalization on policing systems, and on the relationship between those systems and postcolonial national development. She also addresses special problems facing reconstructed states: e.g. the prevalence of low– intensity conflicts, U.N. and NGO involvement, and differing concepts of liberalization and professionalism". Extract from article Not available online. Author: Hills, A Publisher: Boulders, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers
Publications	2007	Allegations of human rights abuses perpetrated by police in Namibia during 2006/2007
Description: Amnesty International is concerned that, although the SFF make up more than half of Namibias police service, they are inadequately trained and have received no human rights training. Many of the SFF members were military combatants in the civil war prior to Namibias independence. Without sufficient and correct training, it is feared that their military background may influence their policing duties. Author: Amnesty International Publisher: Amnesty International Source: http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR030052002?open&of=ENG-BWA
Publications	1999	Evaluation of ODA/DFID Support to the Police in Developing Countries: A Synthesis Study. Volume ll
Description: This evaluation report provides valuable insights into the genesis of the post–independence Namibian police with support from the UK. It reports on the success of integrating officials from the two warring political factions into a national police to bring about organisational change and to improve relations with the populace it served. The DFID–driven police project achieved some successes in training of the new police service and embarked on introducing the philosophy of community policing as an integral part of policing. The latter – and with it overall confidence in the project – was abandoned when the second Inspector General rejected what he termed the “soft” policing of the UK and the need for “hard” policing in the face of rising crime. The evaluation also reports that an inherent problem of the project was the lack of a coherent strategic plan and too many ad hoc programmes. Author: Biddle,Keith; Clegg, Ian and Whetton, Jim Publisher: Swansea: University of Wales, Centre for Development Studies Source: http://www.swan.ac.uk/cds/pdffiles/Volume%20II%20-%20Annexes%20CDE1-3.pdf
Publications	1990	Marching to a Different Drum-A Description and Assessment of the Formation of the Namibian Police and Defence Force in Southern African Perspectives: A working paper series No. 4
Description: "The report describes the development of the Namibian police force and army over the first nine months of independence. It contains information on technical issues, policy decisions and relevant political events, as well as extracts from interviews, press statements and ministerial speeches. The final section assesses the major trends and problems that have emerged." Extract from Introduction: Author: Nathan, Laurie Publisher: Centre for Southern African Studies Filename: KMBT25020070831112724.pdf  [File Size: 8.43 MB] (Click to download)
Publications	2003	The Security Sector and the State in Namibia - An Exploration
Description: "The focus of the research is on the security sector and its relationship to the Namibian state. While the principal focus of the research is on the military and police and the civil management and oversight bodies, the research also focuses on a wider range of actors such as civil society agencies and non–statutory security force organizations such as private security companies and vigilante groups". Extract from Article: Author: du Pisani, A. Publisher: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Source: http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/iez/global/04720.pdf Filename: KMBT25020070830194418.pdf  [File Size: 6.45 MB] (Click to download)
Publications	2005	Far from Spontaneous: Namibia's Long Struggle with Ex-Combatant Reintegration in Fitz-Gerald, A. and H. Mason (eds) From Conflict to Community: A Combatant's Return to Citizenship
Description: "Namibia has spent nearly fifteen years trying to address the demands of its former ex–combatants. This is rare for a post–conflict state, as most consider their own DDR chapters closed one or two years after the end of conflict. The demobilisation phase, despite the D–Day crisis, ultimately ran smoothly because of the dedication of the parties to the Settlement Proposal and to the ultimate objective of an independent Namibia governed by majority–rule. Disarmament, though far from complete, did not disrupt peace nor did the likely continued existence of arms caches or of small arms circulating among the population lead to significant post–conflict violence. Where Namibia faced more long–term challenges was in the reintegration of its former fighters. Some of these problems were inevitable as, like all post–conflict states, Namibia faced considerable resource constraints and economic difficulties with reintegration. Unemployment and ex–combatant dissatisfaction is unsurprising when there is little to reintegrate back into." Extract from conclusion. Author: McMullin, J. Publisher: Shrivenham: Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform (GFN-SSR). Source: Not available online
Publications	2004	A Comparative Perspective of UN peacekeeping in Angola and Namibia
Description: "This article examines operations in Angola and Namibia, countries that offer prime examples of UN peacekeeping, albeit with divergent outcomes. In Angola, numerous UN peace missions – namely, the verification missions UNAVEM I, II and III and the observation mission MONUA – failed to create a permanent secure and peaceful framework. In Namibia, the United Nations Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG), one of the first multidimensional UN peace operations, was able to successfully carry out its mandate. The article finds that the mandates, resources and operational environments of these various peacekeeping operations powerfully influenced their performance, and isolates applicable lessons from the experiences of the two countries". Relevance to policing Insofar as peacekeeping operations often include in their mandate the establishment of a new police force/service, this article touches briefly on this aspect of the UN peace missions in Angola and Namibia. Abstract only avilable online. Author: Dzinesa, G. A. Journal: International Peacekeeping, 11 (4): 644 - 663 Source: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a713947126~db=all