Signed and sealed

The Namibian police signed a memorandum of understanding with the School of Veterinary Medicine at Unam at their headquarters this week, after two K9 officers died in the northern region of Namibia.
ELIZABETH JOSEPH
Elizabeth Joseph

The chief of police, Lieutenant-General Sebastian Ndeitunga said that this agreement could not have come at a better time as they are in dire need of someone that can take care of the animals in the police force on a more permanent basis.

“Seeing that the students from the School of Veterinary Medicine will be having their graduation in April next year, we will need someone that will be helping the police force 24/7 and not just on occasion,” he said at the event.

The vice-chancellor of the University of Namibia, Professor Keneth Matengu, said that the university wants to provide capacity to all the agents of the state.

“We want to make sure that the students are fully equipped with the necessary skills and expertise, so that they can be placed in any area where their help might be needed.

Every year we go through an accreditation process and I am pleased to say that each year the school and its standards have been approved and are of international quality,” he said.

The police force also hopes to start up their own breeding school as they are not breeding their own canines at the moment. They are either bought or donated. Ndeitunga said with the financial constraints of the country, there is no budget for the dogs.

There are plans from the university to build their own veterinary clinic and phase one is set to be completed by the end of 2020.