Why Namibia has banned prison officers from having tattoos
Namibian prison authorities have announced a ban on recruitment of officers who have tattoos on their bodies.
Persons with visible tattoos on their skins would no longer get the chance to join the service, local media has reported.
According to officials the measure is to protect the image of the prisons following concerns that certain tattoos worn by prison officers may be linked to criminal gangs.
The Namibian Sun reported that Namibia’s Correctional Services (NCS) commissioner-general, Raphael Hamunyela, said visible tattoos were not a good reflection of the service.
“New tattoos constitute a disciplinary offence,” Mr Hamunyela was quoted as saying.
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The country’s recruitment policy and the code of conduct is to be amended to ensure that in future no person with visible tattoos is recruited into the NCS, according to officials.
The names of correctional officers bearing tattoos will subsequently also be taken for record-keeping.
In 2018, Ghana also announced a ban on recruitment of persons with tattoos into its immigration service. It sparked agitations with some describing it as discriminatory.
Source: Africafeeds.com
