The governor of the Hardap Region, Katrina Hanse-Himarwa, has warned residents of small towns to be on the lookout for criminal activity after she became the victim of theft this week.
According to Hanse-Himarwa her car was broken into on Monday afternoon and her wedding ring, an expensive handbag, a Nokia cellphone and other personal items were stolen. Some of her personal documents have been returned to her.
“I want to warn people to be on the lookout and not to be as relaxed as they used to be, because criminals are now targeting smaller towns,” said Hanse-Himarwa.
According to the governor she had parked in front of a shop in Mariental, locked her car and went inside, only to realise that she had left her handbag in the car.
When she sent her son to fetch the handbag from the car they realised that it had been stolen.
According to her she clearly remembers making sure that the car was locked before going into the shop.
“There was no window smashed and nothing was broken. Somehow they managed to interfere with the central locking system.”
She suspects that there is a syndicate that is operating from outside Mariental. “There are also those naughty boys watching people and breaking into cars and places.”
Hanse-Himarwa said there has been an increase of criminal activity in smaller towns and added that a similar incident happened to someone else in Mariental recently.
She stressed that a woman’s handbag is a very private item. “I feel that someone has violated my privacy. I do not feel safe. You feel as if people are watching and targeting you.”
According to her, small towns used to be very peaceful and quiet. “You would not even look over your shoulder, but crime and especially theft has increased.”
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