05 Dec 2017

Minister of Defense, Justice and Security, Mr Shaw Kgathi has described the works of Botswana Police Service (BPS) as greatness.

The BPS has recently been ranked number one in Africa. He was speaking at the pass out parade for the 2017 police intake at Botswana Police College in Otse on Thursday.

 “Your decision to join BPS is not a bad one, who would not want to be associated with greatness,” Mr Kgathi rhetorically asked the 359 new recruits.

 He said the police service was noble yet challenging career as the expectations placed on the police by the society were immerse, hence he appealed to them to uphold the values of the profession.

 Mr Kgathi told the recruits that joining the service was an opportunity to make it among the best ranked in the world.

 Further, he stated that the world operateed as one global village and the rapid developments were a result of technology and research.

 However the downside of these developments is growing complexity in the criminal space as criminals also use technology to advance their agenda.

 He said absorbing new and energetic recruits was encouraging as it positioned the police to effectively deal with the dynamics and complexities associated with criminality.

 He also commended the BPS leadership for continuing to absorb and giving priority to serving and qualifying special constables when recruiting.

 “This is a positive consideration that takes into account positive results brought about by the engagement of this cadre in the fight against crime,” he added.

 He urged the recruits to familiarise themselves with the Constitution of Botswana, adding that the police service was a significant player in the criminal justice system.

Also, Mr Kgathi said the country has been experiencing an increase in the use of drugs such as dagga and cocaine, with majority of the drugs imported from outside the country and consumed mostly by young people.
 

He said the police have since October embarked on a national operation targeting mostly drugs and added that they continue to arrest many people and confiscate drugs on a daily basis.

Other challenges faced by the country is that of cybercrime and the abuse of social media as well as human trafficking.

Therefore he said the government would develop appropriate legislations as well to continually capacitate law enforcement agents to better tackle these crimes. ENDS