Namibian prison authorities have banned recruitment of persons with visible tattoos as part of efforts to protect prisons’ image, a local newspaper reports.

This measure is being taken to safeguard the image of the prisons, as there have been concerns that certain tattoos worn by prison officers may be linked to criminal gangs, according to the Namibian Sun.

The Namibia Correctional Services (NCS) commissioner-general, Raphael Hamunyela, said visible tattoos were not a good reflection of the service.

He said the country’s recruitment policy and the code of conduct would be amended to ensure that in future no person with visible tattoos is recruited into the NCS.

“New tattoos constitute a disciplinary offence,” Mr Hamunyela was quoted as saying.

The names of correctional officers bearing tattoos will subsequently also be taken for record-keeping.