The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security (MHAISS) says bringing government services closer to communities is key to improving service delivery and addressing challenges affecting citizens.
The Deputy Minister Edward Wambo made the remarks during a community engagement at Kalkrand in the Hardap Region.
The engagement brought together government officials, regional and local authority representatives, traditional leaders and community members.
Wambo says the ministry has a direct role in the lives of Namibians, from birth registration and national documents to death registration and immigration matters.
"We don't want to create a vacuum. We want to have platforms where we can just have serious conversations how to improve on our service delivery. We must improve because you are the bosses, the sovereigns of this country. You are the ones that is putting us there in that responsibility. And you are the ones who must receive the necessary respect and the decorum that you deserve."
Hardap Governor Riaan McNab welcomed the initiative, saying it creates an opportunity for communities to raise concerns and engage government directly.
"You have demonstrated boots on the ground, as we call it, leadership. And that leadership is engagement, is community engagement, is talking physically to the community, listening to the challenges, and seeking solutions."
Hardap Police Commander Sydney Philander encouraged residents to make use of the police stations and reaffirmed the importance of policing in the community.
"Police work is just not a job; I will come to why we can't change the application requirement. Police work is community service. I'm not a police officer to want to be strong in uniform. I always tell the police officers that the police station doesn't belong to you; it belongs to the community."
Community members raised concerns about the confidentiality of the police, the need for the adjustment of the recruitment requirements for police in the Namibian Correctional Services to accommodate the youth and the lack of access to police services.