A Faulty Campaign

I READ with cynical amusement the press release dated Windhoek, April 18 (Operation Ngambeka) 2006, and have the following comments: If, as stated, the project was geared to specifically address safety issues on the roads, then surely there should have been trained traffic officials at roadblocks instead of ordinary Nampol officers, who were clearly not at all interested in the roadworthiness of vehicles.

I drove to Luederitz and passed through four roadblocks, none of which checked the workings of my car – my brake lights were in fact faulty, and still are! Secondly, and far more insidious I might say, is the sentence stating that “drinking and driving remains a major menace on our roads, along with the use of behaviour-altering substances”. I know of two men who were arrested and charged for drunken driving in Windhoek on Thursday, whose blood alcohol content was excessively high and within 24 hours were released by Nampol at the Windhoek Police Station for a puny amount – the reason being that the cells were too full! And these men were delightfully telling everyone who would listen, how they “beat the system” and continued their drinking spree for the rest of the weekend.How do you ever expect this, or any other campaign for that matter, to succeed when the basic deterrent measures are not being applied in the strictest possible way? Surely, there is supposed to be top-level co-operation between Nampol and the traffic police when it comes to campaigns like this.How can the financial stakeholders think of linking their reputable names to such a project, when the number one priority – law enforcement – is not being adhered to? Our safety and that of our children is most definitely being compromised.Road User WindhoekI know of two men who were arrested and charged for drunken driving in Windhoek on Thursday, whose blood alcohol content was excessively high and within 24 hours were released by Nampol at the Windhoek Police Station for a puny amount – the reason being that the cells were too full! And these men were delightfully telling everyone who would listen, how they “beat the system” and continued their drinking spree for the rest of the weekend.How do you ever expect this, or any other campaign for that matter, to succeed when the basic deterrent measures are not being applied in the strictest possible way? Surely, there is supposed to be top-level co-operation between Nampol and the traffic police when it comes to campaigns like this.How can the financial stakeholders think of linking their reputable names to such a project, when the number one priority – law enforcement – is not being adhered to? Our safety and that of our children is most definitely being compromised. Road User Windhoek