Police disquiet as break-ins increase
Property-related offences, in particular breakins, have increased giving the police an unwelcome headache. Police commissioner, Keabetswe Makgophe expressed the concern when giving welcome remarks at the official opening of the ongoing 48th Botswana Police Senior Officers’ Annual Conference at the Special Support Group (SSG) band hall on Monday.
Makgophe stated that people live in constant fear of criminals while in the comfort of their homes and while driving their cars, something that is currently keeping the police on their toes. He revealed that property-related crimes recorded an increase ranging between 12% and 21%, similarly to robbery cases that went up by 18.6%. He said for the first time, the country further experienced a spate of armed robberies targeting cash-in-transit vehicles that occurred towards the end of 2021.
“It became apparent from the method of operation being their modus operandi of which local criminals colluded with foreign criminals in executing these robberies. In this regard, our coordinated response with other stakeholders resulted in the arrest of some of these criminals,” he said.
Furthermore, Makgophe said significant increases were also recorded in Gender Based Violence (GBV) related crimes that included amongst others murder by 23.5%, rape by 10%, defilement at 11% and threat to kill up by 16%. He revealed that the perpetrators of these crimes are mostly male partners, close relatives and acquaintances who target women and girls.
“These crimes happen predominantly at homes and entertainment places. It is, therefore, imperative that as parents we should provide the necessary guidance to our children including knowing their whereabouts and advising them against peer pressure or bad company,” he said.
Makgophe called on parents to sensitise their children against visiting high-risk areas and encouraging them to report any crime perpetrated against them. Moreover, Makgophe further revealed to have established a gender and child protection branch in April 2021 to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of dealing with GBV and child abuse cases.
“As part of this development, we have opened two child-friendly centres in Gaborone and Francistown. It is evident from the positive response by members of the public that they have long awaited for this service.
We, therefore, plan to roll-out the facility to Maun, Lobatse and Jwaneng before the end of this year,” he said.
Meanwhile, Makgophe further stated that road safety also remains a law enforcement priority as they continue to target behavioural risk factors such as drunken driving, speeding and fatigue. He stated that these factors are considered major contributors to road accidents in Botswana.
The police commissioner revealed to have registered an 18.1% increase in traffic violations in 2021 as compared to 2020, with overspeeding, driving without a licence and careless driving emerging as leading violations.
“We have also lost 413 lives on our roads in 2021 as compared to 325 in 2020, which translates to a 27.7% increase. We will in this regard continue to step up our enforcement and public education campaigns targeting all road users.
We equally hope the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and the ongoing road infrastructural developments in Gaborone will release more police resources from performing traffic control duties to focus more on law enforcement,” Makgophe said.
Sharing the same sentiments, the Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Kagiso Mmusi expressed concern over the increase in petty crimes as people continue to live in fear of criminals, especially in the Greater Gaborone. Mmusi further instructed the police to do whatever it takes to eliminate those who commit these offences.
“You have resources and equipment therefore, you must do everything you can to eliminate those who do this in whatever form. People are attacked in the comfort of their homes and cars and this does not reflect well on us. Re batla lehatshe le le phepha (we want our country cleaned up to be safe), please end this,” Mmusi said.