03 Jun 2019

Southern Division community clusters have been appreciated for their efforts of ensuring safe communities.

Welcoming guests at the Community policing cluster awards Ms Lynn Jibril, a Librarian at the University of Botswana emphasised the need to recognise the community clusters who worked jointly with the Botswana Police Service for the work they do.

“We want to thank you for all the initiatives you have put in place for a safe and crime free place, we walk and sleep knowing that we are protected,” she said.

She encouraged the clusters to do their work knowing that they were not only taking responsibility but also creating a legacy for the coming generation, while ensuring sustainable development for the people.

For his part, the National crime coordinating unit Sergeant Phalanyane Kenosi said the awards celebrated excellence and recognised the role played by clusters in fighting crime as well as encouraging the good work that clusters were doing.

Sergeant Kenosi said through the awards they encouraged residents to take a stand in making sure that their communities were safe .

In his keynote address, Kgosi Stephen Korwe said the concept of community policing was adopted after acknowledgment of the fact that the police could not fight crime alone.

“When cluster policing was introduced in 2008, the major objective was to strengthen the then existing relations between the police and the community.”

Kgosi Korwe said they had aligned themselves to the aspirations of the national vision and have committed to building a safe and secure nation by the year 2036 and beyond.

He said the concept of cluster policing was an operational model that formed part of the package of the community policing philosophy.

“It is motivated by the realisation that people who live, work and play in a given neighborhood understand their area’s problems, unique needs and capacities,” he said.

He said the concept prompted communities to develop strategies to address the problems in partnership with the police.

He also said the awards were a token of appreciation for the selflessness and hardworking clusters demonstrated to ensure that the set targets were achieved and for having mobilised the community.

Kgosi Korwe added that the awards were also meant to encourage the community to continue working with the police to prevent crime.

He said that the police relied on the community to report crime and also provide vital information  necessary to solve crime and address community concerns.

South Central Divisional Commander, Mr Matthews Letsholo said the safety of people lied on the shoulders of the dikgosi.

He said in 2018, there was a reduction in crime in the Southern Division because involvement of dikgosi and the community .

The Divisional Commander raised concern about the escalating incidents of copper cables theft.

The best practice award and community commitment award were given to Re tla kgona cluster, New Canada cluster, White City cluster and Partial cluster. ENDS