13 Jun 2018

Police officers are deployed to any particular station for lengthy period of time depending on the exigencies of the service, says Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Shaw Kgathi.

The minister admitted in Parliament that there were officers who had been deployed or had served in Letlhakane Police Station for more than seven years.“It is worth noting that transfers in Botswana Police Service are done on annual basis, which in itself is a massive exercise affecting a large number of police officers all over the country and in different operational ranks,” he said.

Mr Kgathi further told Parliament that he was constrained to divulge the number of police officers who had been deployed to Letlhakane Police Station for more than seven years.

The minister said he was not aware of officers who had declined to be transferred from Orapa to Khwee, adding that such behaviour would not be permissible within the Botswana Police Service deployment and disciplinary procedures.

He, however, said there were instances or exceptional cases that may result in a reversal of a transfer of an officer, after due consideration and the balancing of factors pertaining to the merits of each case.

Mr Kgathi was answering a question from Boteti East MP, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe who had asked whether it was true that there were long serving police officers in Letlhakane Police Station who have not been transferred.

He also wanted to know what the transfer policy entails regarding transfer of officers and further asked the minister to state the number of officers with more than seven years in Letlhakane.

Mr Lelatisitswe had also asked whether it was true that some officers declined to be transferred from Orapa to Khwee and whether the practice was normal under the police Act.ENDS