13/07/2026
15 years ago members of the public came together in great numbers and took a decision that members of the public will commit to curb crime in Swakopmund and Swakopmund Neighbourhood Watch was born.
This commitment has been honoured for the last 15 years. During of the existence of Swakopmund Neighbourhood Watch we have responded to hundreds of calls for assistance and although we have been hugely successful there were unfortunately those calls which we received too late and we could not change the outcome of those incidents.
This morning my thoughts went back to a call received at approximately 08h08 on the morning of the 13th of July 2021 during the COVID Pandemic. The call came from a Pilatus Trainer who was about to start with an online training session and she observed how one of the participants and her partner were overpowered and brutally attacked in their home.
We immediately responded in full force and due to our well coordinated actions we were able to change the outcome of the incident for the victims.
All 3 the suspects were apprehended within minutes of the attack but unfortunately 5 years down the line justice has still not been served as we have not made it to court yet. The case had been plagued with postponements.
You are probably wondering why I am referring to an incident which happened exactly 5 years ago. Standing in the middle of a scene resembling a war zone with floors and walls covered in blood, it suddenly dawned on me what an incredibly valuable and necessary role Swakopmund Neighbourhood Watch plays in the prevention of crime and the protection of the vulnerable members of our society. Our quick and timely response could literally be the difference between life and death.
At that moment all the sacrifices we make every day in an effort to keep everyone safe, paled in comparison with the look of gratitude in the eyes of the victims and I made a promise to myself that I will do everything within my power to help Swakopmund Neighbourhood Watch to keep on doing what we do best but..............
Today it saddens me to share the news that Swakopmund Neighbourhood Watch has sadly reached the threshold of the point of no return.
Our numbers have dwindled from 200+ members a few years ago to only 80 active members currently. Every single one of our teams are battling on a daily basis to field the required number of members per shift. All of our members have normal day jobs and that combined with the fact that all of us are currently doing a shift per week is busy taking it's toll. The current situation is sadly not sustainable any longer.
This post is our cry for help. We need both men and ladies to join our ranks as a matter of urgency. Anyone between the ages of 18 and a 100 can join. If you do not want to do patrolling, you can help to monitor our CCTV network.
We prefer not to use ladies for patrolling as we do not want to expose them to possible conflict situations and we have realized that the ladies are all great at monitoring the CCTV network.
We are all well aware why the Namibian Police has provided for Community Policing Structures to be created and I am not going to comment on why the Namibian Police who are tasked to look after the safety of the citizens and visitors to Namibia are failing to do so. It would be counter-productive and it will not change the current status quo.
Crime is on the increase and crimes like housebreaking is rife whilst cyber-crimes are the new buzz word with scammers scamming people out of huge sums of hard earned cash on a daily basis. Swakopmund is based on tourism and the increase in crime against tourists will eventually drive the "goose which lays the golden eggs" away if we do not do something other than just talk about it.
We are desperate for your support and if we are not successful in enticing members from the public to join us, we will be forced to take a very difficult decision.
Come on Swakopmund, we are not known for giving up without a fight. Let us rally together to keep Swakopmund Neighbourhood Watch alive.
