27 Mar 2014

Parliament has approved a budget proposal of P5.1 billion for the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security for the 2014/15 financial year.

Of this amount, the sum of P951 million hadbeen proposed for the ministry’s development budget, while P4.1 billion was for the recurrent budget. Debating the budget, MPs implored the ministry to provide appropriate transport for different terrains for the police officers and to provide enough fuel.

They said in most cases the police were incapacitated to respond promptly at crime scenes because of shortage of transport. MPs also called for provision of accommodation, arguing that most police officers and soldiers were sharing accommodation, even those with bigger families.

MP for Nkange, Mr Edwin Batshu commended the Botswana Police Service (BPS) and Botswana Defence Force (BDF) for their hard work. He said numbers for special constables and volunteers have increased in districts, but added that they needed supervision by senior police officers and for guidance purposes.

He said stock theft was rife in his constituency and called for a base camp for police or BDF at Maitengwe. He said backlog of stock theft cases was also worrisome because in the process evidence was lost. Tonota South MP, Mr Pono Moatlhodi called the Minister to deploy heavily armed army officers to fight alarming poaching.

He said special constables should be provided with extra uniforms and that the ministry should consider employing them permanently since some have been working for the past six years. Maun East, MP Frank Ramsden said Maun needed the second police station because of the vastness of the area it covers.

He also said poaching was rife in his constituency, noting that the ministry should investigate poaching that involved helicopters as it was very common in his constituency.

Specially elected MP, Ms Dorcus Makgato-Malesu called the ministry to consider coming up with a robust strategy to deal with crimes against women starting with physical abuse of women, crimes of passion and rape as a deliberate strategy because other countries have done the same.

“Some of these crimes are unique in nature and they need intimate research for you to be able come up with a strategy so that you can deal with this issue and nip it in the bud rather than accept it as a way of life,” she said.

Ms Makgatho-Malesu said a fortified approach was needed to strengthen resources and increase members of BDF camp at Sefhare because they deal with alleged crimes of removal of wildlife from ranches to cross the border illegally.

She said Tswapong South was vast and transport for police officers was short to deal with issues of crime. She said Maape needed police officers and that Ramokgonami was serviced by Martins Drift police, which she said was quite a distance from the village. She also called for reinforcement of patrol along Limpopo River.

Kanye South MP, Mr Abram Kesupile asked the Minister to specifically consider the extra ordinary circumstances that the BDF worked under, and improve their working conditions, starting with accommodation and shortage of resources.

Gaborone North MP, Mr Keletso Rakhudu commended the ministry for visibility of police officers since they were provided with bicycles. Ends