28 Sep 2024

 Volunteers have been lauded for fighting crime in partnership with police.

Giving a keynote address at the Chobe community policing cluster awards on Thursday, the Chobe District Council Secretary, Mr Joseph Segopa stated that when communities work closely with police to prevent crime, it saves government resources because of the coordinated structures of crime prevention in the respective clusters.

“Community policing clusters help the police and all the relevant stakeholders identify crimes that are common in a particular place and the best mitigation strategies to apply to eliminate crime in those areas,” Mr Segopa said.

He said the Chobe District experiences cross border crime with tourists being robbed at hotels, which in many cases is perpetrated by criminals from neighbouring countries. This, he said, threatens Botswana’s image of being a tourism destination of choice hence emphasised the need to strengthen patrols on the shared border.

He expressed appreciation to community clusters in advancing crime prevention and giving solutions on how best to apply preventative measures. Mr Segopa indicated that the awards were motivation for clusters to continue working hard and be champions of peace and security in their respective areas.

Officer Commanding District No.7, Senior Superintendent Meshack Pulenyane, stated that Chobe has 14 community clusters who worked tirelessly with the police to eliminate crime. He said cluster policing was introduced upon realising that the police could not fight crime without community involvement hence this initiative, which was also championed by Dikgosi in their respective jurisdictions.

He pointed out that community clusters had embraced the advancement of technology as they use cellphones and social media to alert the police and public on suspicions or incidents as they happen which prompts a quick response from the police.

Senior Supt Pulenyane revealed that most murder cases recorded in Chobe involved lovers noting that eight were registered last year while two occurred between January and June this year. He said rape was very common in Kazungula adding that most cases were between couples coming from night outings.

He said 22 cases of rape were recorded in the district while 13 were recorded during the period January to June 2024. Kgosi Annah Motswakhumo of Plateau said fighting crime is a joint operation that requires concerted efforts from the police, community, government, private sector and NGOs.

She said these awards were an appreciation for the hard work and dedication displayed by members in their respective clusters to fight crime. She stated that community policing is key as it compliments efforts and strategies deployed by the police in fighting crime. The Kazungula-Newstance community cluster was awarded the best overall cluster award in Chobe. ENDS