One police officer per 201 residents in Zambezi

The Zambezi region is facing a severe police staff shortage, with only 712 officers serving about 142 000 residents, governor Dorothy Kabula-Simushi says.

Kabula-Simushi revealed this during her state of the region address in Katima Mulilo yesterday.

She said the current ratio between police and the residents is one officer for every 201 residents, as opposed to the ideal ratio of one police officer per 50 residents.

“Despite the region being seriously understaffed, the Namibian Police remain committed to fighting crimes, including manning the porous border to ensure the security of our society, while there are eight police stations and several police posts across the region.

“Furthermore, with this limited police force, there has been a slight decrease in reported crime cases from 4 095 in 2024 to 3 526 cases recorded in 2025,” she said.