A recent police operation that targeted 84 security companies countrywide, with the exception of the Khomas Region, uncovered that more than five hundred firearms belonging to these companies are missing or unaccounted for.

This shocking discovery led the police to launch an investigation into each individual case and it is assumed that this figure of lost or unaccounted firearms will drastically increase once a similar operation is finalised in the Khomas Region.
Reference was made by a police source to a circular letter signed by the Inspector-General of the Namibian Police General, Sebastian Ndeitunga, on 7 June this year, indicating that of the 84 security companies targeted by the operation, a total of 28 companies could not be traced at all. These untraceable security companies own a total of 295 firearms, which are now classified as “unaccounted for”.
Those security companies that could be traced could not account for a further 242 firearms, bringing the total number of unaccounted firearms to approximately 536.
The findings further prompted Ndeitunga to require “urgent” statistics from all Namibian Police Regional headquarters as to how many security guards have shot people, leading to murder or attempted murder charges between January 2010 and May 2012, as well as statistics on incidents where security guards were shot at, firearms lost or stolen whilst in the care of security guards, firearms lost or stolen from security company premises as well as firearms belonging to security companies that were used unlawfully. All statistics provided must be accompanied by case register numbers, Ndeitunga requested.
The deadline for these “urgent” statistics was set by Ndeitunga for 29 June 2012.