Omuthiya: Police holding cells in the Oshikoto Region are severely overcrowded, with the Omuthiya Police Station currently housing 560 inmates in cells designed to accommodate only 80.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the statistics were presented by Senior Inspector Josefat Gougorob of the Omuthiya Police Station during the Regional Development Coordinating Committee (RDCC) meeting for the 2025/2026 financial year, held on Wednesday at the Oshikoto Regional Council chambers. Gougorob said of the 560 inmates held at Omuthiya, 454 are Namibians and 106 are foreign nationals.
The Tsumeb Police Station, which has a holding capacity of 45 inmates, currently has 205 detainees in custody, comprising 188 men and 17 women. At Oshivelo, cells designed to hold 60 inmates are currently accommodating 123, of whom 88 are Namibians and 35 are foreign nationals. Okatope Police Station, with a cell capacity of eight, has 21 inmates, including 18 Namibians and three foreign nationals. Onkumbula Police Station, which can accommodate 53 inmates, currently has 62 in custody, made up of 53 Namibians and nine foreign nationals.
Gougorob explained that all suspects arrested at C-class police stations are transferred to A- or B-class stations for detention. 'They are fed three meals per day, cared for, taken to hospital and sometimes attended to by health officials while in custody. They are also taken to court on time,' he said. He noted that although many suspects are granted bail, a significant number remain in custody because they are unable to pay.
Gougorob further said juveniles under the age of 18 who are arrested at C-class stations are detained at the Grootfontein Correctional Facility, while female suspects are held at the Okatope and Tsumeb police stations. 'We currently have eight juveniles in detention, with the youngest being a 14-year-old boy arrested for rape. The oldest inmate in custody is a 70-year-old man, also arrested for rape,' he said.
On crime trends, Gougorob reported that 943 crimes were recorded in the region between January and March 2026, with the most common offences being assault, theft, housebreaking, rape, cellphone theft and stock theft. In January alone, 438 cases were reported, including 98 assault cases, 38 housebreaking cases and 27 domestic violence cases. In February, 304 cases were recorded, including 61 assault cases, 46 theft cases and 28 housebreaking cases. A further 201 cases were recorded in March.