01 Dec 2016

Former Commissioner of Police, Mr Norman Moleboge, has appealed to retired police officers to join the newly established, Botswana Police Service Retired Members Association (BPSRMA).

Mr Moleboge made the appeal in Palapye recently at the association’s general meeting.

Retired commissioners Mr Moleboge and Mr Thebeyame  Tsimako as well as many high ranking retirees were in attendance.

Mr Moleboge said the associationt was formed so as to look into the welfare of retired police officers.

Mr Moleboge, who is the chairman of the interim committee pleaded with retired officers who attended the meeting to recruit fellow retirees to the association as it is meant for them.

He further updated the retirees about the membership to the Botswana Police Welfare Schemes (BPWS) again pleading to former members of the police service who had opted out of the schemes to rejoin to benefit from the initiative after retirement.

He said BPWS offered services which included Savings and Loan Guarantee Scheme, Police Relief Fund which are supported by the Police Act and the Group Funeral Scheme.

According to Mr Moleboge, of the 761 retirees only 339 are still members of the Police Relief Fund.

For his part Retired Commissioner Mr Tsimako expressed disappointment at the rate at which the welfare schemes had been abandoned at the time when officers retire.

‘I am sad that the enthusiasm about the scheme has faded. The scheme was going to do us a lot of good,’ he said referring to Group Funeral Scheme.

The association’s formation was met with jubilation and praised by attendees among them the host, Divisional Commander North Mr Christopher Mbulawa. He told BOPA in an interview that the association will bring hope to retirees and a sense of belonging.

‘The association is very important as it will bring former police officers together and make them become a family,’ he said.

Mr. Tymon Katlholo, who served as the Director of Criminal Investigation Department (CID)  said, ‘People should not feel like spent cartridges after retirement,’ referring to the wealth of experience that retirees have.

The association, which is still in its infancy stage met in Palapye to forge the way forward as the members unanimously voted to endorse and adopt the constitution.

The prospective members also decided that the current interim committee continue serving so as to preserve and sustain the momentum. ENDS