01 May 2017

Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Shaw Kgathi has thanked policing clusters nationally for the good job they are doing in working hand in hand with the police to combat crime.

He said the clusters’ continued effort, commitment and the spirit of volunteerism in fighting crime deserved special mention and accolades.

Giving a keynote address during the seventh National Cluster Policing Awards in Selebi Phikwe on Thursday, Mr Kgathi said community policing remained the widely practiced and most effective crime prevention strategy ever to be adopted by this country from way back in the 1980s.

He said the strategy had been subjected to numerous reviews and improvements over the years to make it more effective, hence the ultimate birth of Cluster Policing in 2008.

“I am informed the number of policing clusters have increased from the initial 568 to 652 countrywide. I am truly happy about the positive impact this initiative continues to make in bringing down crime levels in the country.

Considering the importance of investing in community policing or cluster policing, government commits to continue creating a conducive environment for smooth functioning of this important initiative,” he said.

Minister Kgathi further indicated that Botswana continued to enjoy global scales in regards to public security and rule of law.

He said the good standing could, amongst other considerations, be attributed to invaluable contribution made by policing clusters towards making the country safe and secure.

“In this regard, I remain grateful to all citizens and agencies who associate with cluster policing for helping put Botswana on the global map and I urge these key players to keep the criminal justice wheel rolling,” he said.

Mr Kgathi mentioned that government was committed to supporting and resourcing the public security sector so as to guarantee national peace and security.

He said capacitating the police to effectively tackle crime, improving police workforce, acquiring modern policing equipment and developing police infrastructure remained a priority.

The MP for Bobonong stated that one of his goals was to contribute to the development of Botswana Police Service into a formidable Police Service, whose effectiveness and levels of professionalism compared favourably with the best in the region and globally.

He said to achieve this, he had requested Botswana Police Service (BPS) leadership to focus and put emphasis on discipline, accountability, responsiveness and to ensure all resources available to them were focused on advancing the core mandate of the police.

“To achieve this, we put emphasis on training and development as well as enhancing the effectiveness of the BPS air and ground capabilities,” he said

He also mentioned that his ministry, in collaboration with the police and all role players were in the process of reviewing the legislation that commanded tremendous potential of enhancing police effectiveness such as the Police Act, Penal Code, Criminal procedure and Evidence Act, Stock Theft Act as well as Arms and Ammunition Act.

On other issues, Mr Kgathi cited some ongoing National Development Plan 11 projects that would enhance BPS capacity to deliver, which included, the construction of a Forensic Laboratory, a couple of police stations in Block 10 in Gaborone, Mmathubudukwane, Ghanzi, Maitengwe and Semolale. He added that several police posts were also under construction to improve police coverage nationally.

“The delivery of these important projects will ensure the provision of improved policing services for community benefit.I urge end users to ensure utility maximisation through exercise of good care and proper maintenance of availed resources,” he said.

The minister called for the need to build more effective partnerships in the fight against crime, adding that cluster policing continued to yield the desired results and impact against crime.

“As we celebrate the fruits of community partnerships in the prevention and fight against crime, we should also use this opportunity to align our strategies to the new Vision 2036 - ‘Achieving prosperity for all’.
As the Governance, Peace and Security pillar, our mandate is ensuring that by 2036, Botswana will be a land of peace, freedom and progressive governance characterised by low levels of crime and corruption,” he said.

During the ceremony, the Ministers Award of Excellence in Community Policing was awarded to No.1 District while the Best Station Award was given to Maun Police. Other cluster policing award categories included Best Practice Award and Community Commitment Award. ENDS