15 Feb 2022

The rapidly changing criminal environment and inherent dynamics in terms of increasing sophistication  and  globalisation  of both crime and criminal syndicates call for a knowledgeable, agile and responsive police service.

Officially opening the 48th Botswana Police senior officers annual conference in Gaborone yesterday, Minister of Defence, Justice and Security Mr Kagiso Mmusi said today’s police service must be capable of responding timely and decisively on emerging crime and other security threats.

He noted that the degree  to  which  society abided by the rule of law was influenced to a larger extent by the ability of law enforcement apparatus to tackle and reduce crime.

Minister Mmusi said the full assumption of the prosecutorial function by the Directorate of Public Prosecution, would relieve the police to focus on their core function of case investigation whilst the establishment of special courts will go a long way in ensuring speedy disposal of cases.

He said  the delivery  of quality justice was dependent  on  the  effective  functioning  of  the  entire  criminal justice system in terms of the effective performance of its sub-functions including law enforcement, prosecution, sentencing  and  incarceration.

Government, he said, was committed to resourcing public service institutions in order for them to deliver effectively on their mandate which extended to criminal justice departments.

Minister Mmusi emphasised the importance of prudent resource management in handling crime, especially in the current era of scarce and costly resources mainly due to COVID-19 pandemic-related economic challenges.  

“We must come up with innovative strategies that can effectively drive key support functions such as resource management, manpower planning, budget execution, project implementation, procurement,  facility maintenance and other associated support processes,” he said.

Mr Mmusi said interagency collaboration was one  of the key strengths in achieving the overarching mandate of  law  enforcement and  crime reduction noting that Botswana Police Service and Botswana Defence Force continued to support each other in delivering their mandates.

Notable areas of mutual support  included  crime  prevention,  surveillance,  anti-poaching and  border  patrol  operations, he said.

The minister said the collaborative efforts were also impactful on addressing emerging crimes such as the recent spate of cash-in  heists  and other issues of national concern such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

He pledged to continue promoting  a  conducive  working environment where departments supported each other in order to collectively address issues of national interest, especially where capacity challenges existed.

Mr Mmusi also acknowledged the positive impact and immense contribution made by community policing, stating that the strategy was key towards achieving safer communities.

Calling it a fruitful  partnership, he said community policing  continued to play a pivotal role in the prevention and detection of crime.

“The impressive results we continue to record through implementing various community policing programmes and initiatives are consistent with the reassuring feedback conveyed by both our local and international customers,” he said. Ends