09 Mar 2015

Successful policing of the community can only be attained when the police work collaboratively and cooperatively with the community to achieve a zero crime environment.

It is also necessary for the police officers to involve traditional leaders in their quest to achieve their goals. It is in this manner that the community that the police officers work with and for, would always feel safe rather than fear in their sight.

These statements were echoed by various speakers at a farewell party for the Lobatse police station commander, Superintendent Loeto Ramabokwa.

Kgosi Kefithile Kgwakgwe of Digawana emphasised the need for the police to involve the community, especially traditional leaders such as dikgosi in order for them to attain results.

Kgosi Kgwakgwe said the police also needed to exercise patience in their daily duties citing Mr Ramabokwa as an example of a police officer who exercised patience, which resulted in his rising in ranks from a constable to retiring as a Superintendent.

He said Mr Ramabokwa worked closely with the community and had an open door policy. He encouraged other police officers to aspire to grow their profession to rise to the ranks which Mr Ramabokwa rose to. He said he hoped Mr Ramabokwa would be replaced by someone of similar traits.

Assistant Superintendent Moses Kwarare described Mr Ramabokwa as a strict officer who would most of the time smile to traffic offenders while charging them.

He said Mr Ramabokwa was popularly known in every area that he worked in, from as far as Francistown, Kasane, Letlhakane, Kanye and Lobatse as an ever smiling traffic officer who applied charges to traffic law offenders so well. He credited him as a God fearing man and having contributed largely to other officers’ spiritual life.

“Mr Ramabokwa was one man who showed true characteristics of a leader and was indeed a true disciplinarian to his subordinates”, he said. Ass. Superintendent Moses Dikomane of Woodhall police praised Mr Ramabokwa for the strength he showed in leading a team of officers even in bilateral relations issues, especially in dealing with cross boarder crime.

He said, Mr Ramabokwa’s integrity was mostly tested at a time when they had to meet with their counter parts from across the country, but always amicably solved the situations they faced.

Mr Ramabokwa said he was elated to have served government in the police service and it was the only job he had done from his teenage years. He talked of his patience in the service, his hard work and his love for his job that saw him rising through the ranks.

Having been raised from humble beginnings in Serowe, he said he gained all that he had through showing love to all, an inspiration he said he got from his mother. He advised supervisors to treat their subordinates equally, be open to them and always be willing to listen.

“A leader is not supposed to be feared but rather be respected by both colleagues and clients in order to attain good results and that’s how I executed my role as a Superintendent”, he said. Working as a station commander, he said was one job that came as a challenge, but needed commitment, hard work and perseverance.

He thanked all those who have been supportive in his career and especially his wife and children who traversed the country with him as he was climbing the policing ladder.

From being employed as a constable, Mr Ramabokwa served in the Botswana Police Service for 29 years, 10 months and retired from service on December 2014 as a Superintendent. ENDS