Namibia: Misa misinterpreted Police ‘blackout’, says Shilongo

Erongo’s Police Chief, Commissioner Festus Shilongo, says the media misinterpreted the Police’s recent announcement that they won’t release regular crime bulletins any longer.

Addressing a press conference in Walvis Bay on Tuesday, Shilongo responded to a statement by the Media Institute Of Southern Africa (Misa), published in The Namibian last week.

Misa had described the Police decision as a “media blackout”.

According to Shilongo, Deputy Inspector General Vilio Hifindaka had “made it clear” that the Police’s national headquarters, and not the regional command, would stop issuing daily or weekly crime bulletins.

“That means the duty of responding to media inquiries has been delegated to Commissioners, Regional Commanders and Deputy Commissioners as well as to all commissioned officers under the Public Relations Division,” he said.

Shilongo said the Erongo Police tried to foster better links with the community, and this stance was not in conflict with Hifindaka’s statement.

“The Erongo Police and all media organisations in Erongo will continue to sing one song, and that is ‘Make Erongo Safe’.”

He said the Erongo Police consi-dered their relationship with the media as fundamental in the fight against crime.

Misa called Nampol’s recent decision to release only “selective data” on crime “a clear denial of the people’s right to access information”.

The Police announced two weeks ago that they would in future release only information on wanted and missing persons, crime prevention education on emerging crimes, tips on how to prevent crimes in specific towns or areas, and how to access various police services.

“The public should know what is happening in their community in order to make safe decisions. Instead, Nampol censorship is putting Namibians in greater danger by preventing them from accessing information regarding Police brutality, political corruption and other criminal activities in their communities,” Misa stated.

- February 11, 2010 by Adam Hartman

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Source: www.namibian.com.na/index.php (accessed on 12.02.10)