17 Feb 2016

The Commissioner of Police, Mr Keabetswe Makgophe, has assured the nation that the police remains committed to ensuring their safety and security at all times. 

Giving welcoming remarks at the ongoing 44^th Botswana Police Senior Officers Annual Conference at SSG in Gaborone on Tuesday, Mr Makgophe said the organisation is committed to satisfying its mandate and obligations by ensuring that the security and safety of the nation is not compromised at all.

He noted that this commitment has seen the organisation successfully providing  professional security during the international and national high profile and resource demanding events such as the African Elephant Summit, SADC Summit, SADC Troika meeting, the 4^th Botswana Games, the Toyota 1 000 Desert Race, the Makgadikgadi Epic, the Khawa Dune Challenge and many other events hosted during 2015. 

Mr Makgophe therefore said the same level of commitment will be the epitome of success during the country’s 50^th independence celebrations.

Reflecting on performance objectives, he said, violent and intrusive crimes, which comprise of burglary and theft, house breaking and theft, store breaking and theft and robbery and attempts have been on the decline over the years. 

He however said serious crimes such as murder and rape have been on the decrease during the year 2015.  The sad thing, he said, is that most of these incidents are committed by people who are known to their victims, at times in a relationship. 

Most unfortunately, some perpetrators commit suicide immediately thereafter.  In some incidents, he noted, infants die at the hands of their parents.

The police chief however said the circumstances under which most of these crimes occur, points to societal factors which can only be effectively tackled through national approach interventions.

On other issues, Mr Makgophe said the police recorded an increase in the number of deaths on national roads from 377 recorded in 2014 to 411 in the year 2015, which translates to nine per cent increase. 

He regretted that the accidents mostly claim the lives of young and vibrant population who could otherwise be contributing to the national economy.   

With regard to improving efficiency and effectiveness of public security services in order to offer real time service, he said, the introduction of Rapid Response Teams within the Greater Gaborone area is proving to be a fruitful undertaking. He said this has impacted positively on detection rate, particularly on serious and violent offences such as armed robberies and break-ins . Ends