23 Mar 2022

The Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security is looking into recruiting more police officers to address the upsurge of various types of criminal offences.

Defence, justice and security minister, Mr Kagiso Mmusi said this in response to MPs comments in the ministry’s budget proposals for the 2022/2023 financial year on March 22.

Mr Mmusi said the police used to recruit a maximum of 150 annually, but had since increased to 1 000, owing to the escalating criminal activities.

He said the ministry would also continue to construct new police stations and posts to increase police visibility and access.

Furthermore, Mr Mmusi said the police intended to upgrade and expand the Radio Communication Network System and introduce Incident Management System for the Safer City Programme.

He said Botswana Police Service was going to increase cameras in the city to help track down criminals, adding that the technology had come handy in dealing with criminal activities going on in Gaborone.

He thanked MPs for supporting the ministry’s budget proposals and acknowledging that it needed to be increased in order to help the disciplined forces enhance security.

On the Botswana Defence Force (BDF), he said the organisation was engaged in peace-keeping operations in Mozambique, where 300 troops were deployed as part of the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM).

He said the expectation was that the BDF continued with the operation into the next financial year, hence the need for continued funding.

He said the deployed BDF troops were operating under SAMIM thus their withdrawal would depend on the security analysis conducted by SAMIM every three months.
In his contribution to the debate and in an effort to address some MPs’ concerns about arrests made by the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS), MP for Mochudi West, Mr

Mmusi Kgafela said there was need to go back to the drawing board and understand the organisation’s functions.

“The DIS has investigative jurisdiction to arrest or detain and interrogate over a wide range of criminal offences, as such if some MPs are not happy with its function then Parliament will have to amend the Act it is operating under to reduce the broad mandate of DIS,” he said, adding that currently the organisation was operating within its mandate.

Some MPs, in their contributions to the debate, had raised concerns over growing threat of crime, emphasising the need for citizens to feel safe on the streets and in homes. They also wanted equity between the disciplined forces to enable all of them to deal with security issues.

MPs also called for improvement of conditions of service for BDF members, the police and prisons staff, particularly regarding housing and salaries to enable them to improve security. ENDS