A complete restructuring of the police in Namibia is reportedly taking place, with the aim of centralising power and reinforcing the high command. In an interview in November 1979, the Divisional Commissioner of Police, Brigadier Dolf Gouws, stated that a number of changes had taken place which afforded more direct and immediate control under centralised authority. He gave no further details, but is believed to be determined to tighten the grip of the police on security.
The Namibian Police Force is incorporated into the South African Police Force. The Commissioner of the South African Police, subject to the direction of the Minister of Police, commands the force in Namibia. The Police Act of 1958 amended the definition of the "Republic" to include "South West Africa", so applying all police powers in South Africa to the territory.
Several types of police operate in Namibia: South African Police units, stationed in or seconded to, Namibia, are heavily armed, with military jeeps and helicopters. Until June 1974 they were mainly responsible for patrolling the northern border with Angola. These duties were then to a large extent taken over by the South African Defence Force, but police continue to play an important counterinsurgency role, including border duty. According to South African sources, men of all races are specially trained for police duties at a centre outside Groblersdal in the Eastern Transvaal, where conditions are as "close as possible to the real thing". After six weeks of vigorous training, they return to their stations in South Africa and South West Africa to await call-up for border duty.
The role of the South African police units as a paramilitary force is of particular importance in view of the Western plan for an internationally accepted settlement in Namibia, which gives primary responsibility for maintaining law and order during the transition period to the existing police forces, and provides for United Nations personnel in Namibia to accompany the police force in the discharge of their duty.
There are major police posts at Windhoek, Walvis Bay and Grootfontein, and at Oshakati and Ondongwa in Ovamboland.
The Security Police, which form part of the South African Police, have a large detachment of men on duty in Namibia, and other special departments of the police send in men as needed. Their work is particularly concerned with detention and interrogation of political prisoners. A new Chief of the Security Police, Lieutenant Colonel Jan van der Merwe, was appointed at the end of 1979.
White controlled municipalities have their own municipal police force, mainly responsible for dealing with "security" in the towns. In addition, municipal "commandos" have been set up in urban centres. In Windhoek for example, a municipal commando was established in May 1978 to protect municipal property and give "other relevant services during times of riots". The City Council provided funds for training and to buy rifles.
A proclamation by the Administrator General provided for the inclusion of the South African Railways Police in the definition of "security forces," thus giving them the same status and power as the South African Police and the South African Defence Force. Its size has recently been enlarged with the formation of the Railways Police Reserve Force. The officer commanding the Railways Police, Col. Eloff, refused to comment on its strength and task assignment.
In mining and other compounds, the mining house or company frequently employs a police force, or uniformed guards with dogs hired from private protection service firms, to regulate visitors and workers and deal generally with "security".
The tribal police in Ovamboland and Kavango are controlled by tribal authorities and are not subject to departmental regulations or public scrutiny. Many recruits are undergoing training as a paramilitary force by South African instructors. The tribal police were extensively used to harass and intimidate the population during the elections for the Ovamboland Legislative Council in January 1975, dispersing public meetings held by SWAPO and forcing people with rubber batons and swords to come to the polls.
In line with its policy of promoting indigenous security forces on a tribal basis, South Africa has been training a black police force in the homelands. In 1974, an intensive training programme prepared a Kavango police force to take over control of the cordon gates on the Botswana/Namibia border and guard the post between Grootfontein and Rundu. More recently, 115 Hereros completed their training as part of the Special Police, a unit of the South African Police. They are deployed in their own area in defence services and law and order. Black policemen are being promoted to officer rank as part of this programme. The importance of training indigenous people was emphasised by South African security officers who stressed their value in the homelands. These developments appear to parallel moves to establish a SWA Defence Force.
An increasingly violent role is played by the Home Guards in the "homelands". A leading official of the Lutheran World Federation reported after a visit to Namibia in July 1979 that "there is no longer any semblance of order or the rule of law in Ovamboland. The population is totally at the mercy of the arbitrary power of the South African army and units of the Home Guard, comprised of young, black, drop-outs of Ovambo society. These men are uneducated, unemployed and lured by good pay and excitement. Armed bands, often un-disciplined, are known for committing atrocities against their own people. South Africa now appears to be replacing some of its own units with Home Guards assembled from all parts of the country and from various tribes". The Home Guards were given legitimacy by Major Geldenhuys, the Officer Commanding South West Africa Command, who explained that "the Home Guard in Ovamboland is also a police organisation and may be called upon to enforce the law".
Police have been given increasingly wide powers in recent years. Under the repressive laws promulgated by the Administrator General, such as the Security Districts Proclamation (AG9) of November 1977 as amended in May 1979, the security forces, including the police, were given extensive powers to search people or premises without a warrant, and arrest and detain persons for up to 30 days without access to legal counsel. There has been substantial evidence that torture is employed almost on a routine basis by security police during interrogation of political detainees.
