30 Jan 2018

Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Shaw Kgathi has given residents of Marapong a green light to construct a police office on their own if government is not yet ready to do so.

The residents’s proposal came after minister Kgathi informed them during a kgotla meeting recently that due to financial constraints, government would commence the project by building 18 police houses at the plot allocated to construct the police station.

Therefore, residents proposed to minister Kgathi that they be allowed through self-reliance to construct an office which police officers could use to serve them.

Tabling the proposal, an elder in the village, Mr Batshani Letsholo said as much as they once did for themselves by building junior secondary school and brigade on their own by funding raising, they could still make it to build an office for the police.

Mr Letsholo complained that for years they had been requesting a police station, dating back as far as during the late President Sir Ketumile Masire’s tenure until to date.

They said they were distressed by high criminal activities happening within and on the vicinity of their village.

He explained that currently there were five officers headed by a sergeant which he said was not enough to cover the village.

Mr Letsholo said currently the officers were pre-occupied with looking after cattle used for exhibition instead of assisting them to fight other crimes.

In respond, Mr Kgathi said as government, they welcome such assistance from the community, adding that it was these kind of partnership they needed as law enforcement units to fight crime.

He, however, noted that they would provide a standard construction plan for them, adding that the 18 houses upon completion, would house 22 officers.

Furthermore, he stated that the government was the in process of removing police officers from dikgotla so that they execute their duties without any interference from tribal leadership. He explained that Police Act has been amended to empower the police commissioner and to derive the police service from the civil service.

On other issues, Mr Kgathi informed the residents that government was concerned by high numbers of murder cases that were committed across the country.

He said such scenario needed community partnership with the police to help address issues that arose resulting in the crime taking place. He implored parents to take center stage in talking to their children regarding relationships.ENDS