25 Jul 2013

Botswana Police Service's Senior Superintendent Dipheko Motube has raised concern that the public does not come forward to assist the police with information despite floated rewards.

Responding to a BOPA questionnaire, Snr Supt Motube of the public relations unit said there was a wrong perception that once whistle blower passed information to the police, they investigated him and would in the process blow his cover.

Supt Motube said there was need for the public to differentiate a whistle blower from a witness, explaining that a witness was critical in proving or disapproving the guilt of the suspect in regard to what he had witnessed or experienced.

“A witness is not a whistle blower hence he has to give evidence in an open court thus blowing his cover and the police will have his full statements to assist in their investigations but a whistle blower cannot be expected to produce statements or give evidence,” he explained. He, however, said police investigations proved if someone was a whistle blower or a witness and the concerned informer was always advised accordingly.

Regarding the rewards that were usually floated by the police, Snr Supt Motube said the highest amount floated was P60 000 for the murder of two Marobela/Sebina residents recently. He said nobody had come forward with information leading to the arrest of the suspect/ suspects and police investigations were still ongoing.

Asked whether the informants were rewarded after the courts of law had tried the cases or after the police investigations proved that the suspects were indeed involved, Snr Supt Motube said the informants were rewarded after police investigations proved that the suspects were involved in the alleged crime with empirical prove of evidence.

He appealed to the public to help with any information that could lead to the arrest of suspects. ENDS