20 Sep 2017

Detective Constable Motshidisi Sello of Narcotics, Fauna and Flora Investigation has said they are worried at the rate at which drugs and alcohol are penetrating the community especially through students within the village.

Detective Sello said at Tonota police crime prevention workshop on Tuesday under the theme: ‘Alcohol and drug free generation now, and beyond’.

He observed that marijuana/dagga was the most common within Tonota community as it was the cheapest, adding that it was the gateway to bigger and more dangerous drugs such as cocaine.

He mentioned that of late, drug dealers use students to bring drugs into schools which in turn became a doorway for other criminal activities.

Detective Sello further explained that drugs had great influence over individuals and the choices they made, giving examples of criminal activities such as rape, murder, theft of money and household good to sell in order to sustain drug and alcohol addiction.

He advised students attending the workshop to choose friends wisely because the company one kept determined the choices they made. He explained that when found in possession of drugs, students were also eligible for juvenile rehabilitation.

Giving  keynote address, head of preventive services in the greater Francistown area, Dr Tebogo Mokgwane said binge drinking and drug abuse did not only affect the individuals taking them, but also cut across all sectors of society such as the law, health departments and domestic life.

Dr Mokgwane stated that premature death, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity were a few of the impact drug and alcohol abuse had on individuals.

He said people under the influence of drugs were prone to different injuries and accidents, adding that from the beginning of this year 130 people sustained injuries due to alcohol and drug abuse were registered at Tonota clinic whereas in Serule 256 injuries were recorded.

A representative of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) who could not disclose her identity, stated that a lot of Batswana were unaware of the AA groups which were aimed at helping individuals get sober and stay sober, adding that the services offered at AA were completely free.

She further noted that some of the signs that one was an addict included drinking alone, failing to control the number of drinks one took, hiding one’s drinks, failing to remember what happened while they were under the influence.

She added that with students, the signs included missing school and not doing homework.

Earlier on while giving his welcome remarks, Kgosi Pogiso Sekoko of Tonota pleaded with Botswana police services to host the workshops on a monthly basis to discuss and fight the growing use of drugs within the village.  BOPA