28 Nov 2024

Assistant Commissioner of Police Theriso Thatayotlhe has applauded Badisa Kgomo Society members for their contribution towards combating stock theft. 

He said the police appreciated their mandate and collective efforts in fighting such criminal activities.

Badisa Kgomo is a non-governmental organization mainly composed of cattle farmers. It aims to fight stock theft through community policing and enhance the link between cattle farmers and the police. The society has established 25 committees from different areas of the country so far.

Addressing members of the society in a kgotla meeting held in Maokane on Wednesday, Assistant Commissioner Thatayotlhe said their contribution would go a long way in addressing the escalating number of stock theft cases across the country. He underscored the need for such partnerships with the police in evolving dynamics surrounding stock theft.

“We acknowledge that the police cannot manage stock theft alone. 

Hence, we welcome and pledge our support towards such initiatives as yours. 

As Botswana Police, we are committed to supporting and collaborating with organizations and programmes to prevent and fight various forms of crime, including stock theft,” he explained.

However, he urged them to align their operations with the confines of the law to avoid possible prosecution. He noted that desisting from taking the law into their hands would also prevent them from risking their lives, particularly in the escalating number of syndicates associated with stock theft.

“We acknowledge that stock theft is a big challenge that comes with adverse effects on farmers and that the criminals work as syndicates, but we are appealing to you to avoid taking the law into your own hands. 

We have realised that there are instances where some people go against the law, and this even has the potential to destroy evidence on the cases you report for investigations,” he noted.

Badisa Kgomo’s public relations officer, Mr Odirile Kamodi, said that even though they appreciated the support from Botswana Police, they were concerned about the delayed response, which created a loophole for suspects to tamper with evidence. 

He said the shortage of transport at police stations hindered their efforts in combating stock theft and dismantling the syndicates.

He further called on thorough and regular inspection of butcheries and their trading licenses to close any gaps for criminal activities. 

“These businesses should be inspected and their licenses scrutinized because they are a breeding ground for stock theft,” he said.

He said notwithstanding the current challenges, plans were underway to roll out the initiative to other parts of the country to eradicate stock theft in Botswana. 

He said they intended to induct more communities to increase the number of committees and improve their impact.

For their part, farmers underscored the need to unite and have neighborly relationships with fellow farmers to close the gaps that stock thieves could exploit. 

They also unanimously called for the review of the Constitution to avoid granting bail to the perpetrators.

One of the attendants, Mr Gaopalelwe Morebodi, said the government should consider aligning the sentences with the value of the livestock stolen. 

He also implored the government to change laws to allow farmers to defend themselves and their properties without being charged. 

“Farming is expensive, and every farmer expects to benefit from it, so there is a need for the fines to match the value of the stolen livestock. 

We should also be at liberty to protect ourselves and our property instead of the law being lenient on criminals as it is currently,” he said. Ends