By Marx Itamalo|
THE police in Oshana and Omusati regions say the use of drugs in the two northern regions has increased and thus appeal to members of the public to report any drug related activities to the authorities.
Senior Inspector of the Namibian police and Omusati police spokesperson Anna Kunga told this publication that the Omusati police has detected an unusually high number of drug related cases since the beginning of the year and that the police in the region is worried about the trend.
“Typically, our region is not notorious for drugs. But since the beginning of the year, we had many cases involving drugs more than last year,” she noted.
According to Kunga, what is more worrying is the fact that the youth, especially school going pupils are also involved in drugs.
“It is not only adults who are dealing in drugs. School children also are affected and we have cases where suspects are school children.
“This is very dangerous, and we want to call upon parents to take action and sensitise their children about the dangers that drugs pose to their children and how they will affect their future.”
Senior Inspector Kunga stressed that of late, drugs were found in school hostels in the region following police searches. She said the involved pupils were warned in the presence of their parents at their respective schools.
She, however, said she could not reveal the names of the schools where searches were conducted and drugs found.
“As the police, we received information from several schools in the region about the unabated use of drugs in some schools in the region and the teachers requested us to go and search the hostels and what we discovered shocked us.
“Our youth are really being consumed by drugs and this is dangerous. I want to call upon all parents to be careful and monitor the movement of their children and to check whom they socialise and spend time with,” she stressed.
“They should also monitor and be on the lookout of signs which can tell them if their children are using drugs.”
Kunga further noted that some drug dealers are using unsuspecting members of the public to courier drugs for them. She thus cautioned members of the public to be careful when asked to take items to inmates in police holding cells.
A police detective attached to Oshana region drug law enforcement stressed that drug use among the youth in the region has also become a problem with parents reporting to the police about the behaviour of their children.
He noted that many parents have told the police of the changes in the behaviour of their children and that many of them have now become rebellious.
“It’s worrisome. Drugs are destroying our society and we have to fight to ensure that those selling drugs stop the practice or are removed from society.
“The problem is that not all community members want to cooperate with the police to identify these people and report them to us. Those selling drugs are from our communities and people know them but they don’t want to report them. We will only succeed in the fight against drugs if we are working together.”
School principal Jonas Haufiku from Ohangwena indicated to this publication that the responsibility of drug use amongst school pupils should be shared between both parents and teachers.
“We have to share the responsibility. We all spend time with the children at our respective times and thus we cannot neglect our sacrosanct responsibility to shape the future of the children,” Haufiku said.
“However, when things get out of hand, it is not wrong to call in the police to assist.”
In the photo: Omusati Police Regional spokesperson Senior Inspector Anna Kunga.
