Officers risk their jobs smuggling items into jails

Over the past three years, the Windhoek Correctional Facility has lost 11 officers – one was dismissed, six resigned and four are on suspension – due to their involvement in smuggling activities to inmates.

The officer-in-charge at the Windhoek facility Deputy Commissioner Veikko Armas said this at the anti-contraband awareness campaign in Windhoek on Saturday.

Armas said from January to June this year, 40 mobile phones, 67 sachets of dagga, 283g of dagga, 40 pieces of crack cocaine, two mandrax tablets, 42 sachets and 941g of tobacco were found and confiscated.

“This transpired when searches were conducted during external patrols by officers around the security perimeters, as these drugs are often planted around the facility and other public venues by those in cahoots with inmates,” Armas said.

He said the smuggling of prohibited items (contraband) poses a threat to the mandate of the Namibian Correctional Service of providing safe, secure and humane custody to offenders.

Armas added that it also poses a threat to the safety of correctional staff, inmates and the public as these illegal items can be used by inmates to engage in criminal activities such as creating secrete

conomies and worsen existing drug addiction by inmates.

“Engaging in contraband can also be harmful to inmates’ rehabilitation, as instead of focusing on their restoration as law-abiding citizens, smuggling continues to support criminal attitudes and behaviours,” he said.

Efforts to keep disciplined correctional staff can be compromised as officers are often discharged from their duties due to smuggling contraband, Armas said. Shortage of staff at correctional facilities increases security threats and incidents due to the lobsided ratio of inmates to staff, he said.

Armas is calling on the public to cooperate with the correctional service for the effective rehabilitation of inmates.

The awareness campaign, which is in its third year, aims to educate and alert inmates and the public on the risks of contraband.

This year’s campaign was held under the theme ‘Uniting the Nation against Contraband’.