Africa-Press – Botswana. Introduced in 2021 in response to the alarming rise in heists at the time, the government is concerned about the financial burden of escorting cash-in-transit vehicles on the Botswana Police Service.
The government is currently engaging relevant stakeholders about the financial burden of escorting cash-in-transit (CIT) vehicles of private security companies on the Botswana Police Service (BPS).
Responding to a question in the Francistown Full Council by the Councilor for Selepa, Mpho Leladi (BCP), the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of State President, Goitsemang Morekisi, confirmed that there is financial return to the government for BPS escorting of cash-in-transit vehicles.
No formal agreement
“There is neither a formal agreement with private security companies nor any cost recovery mechanisms in place,” Morekisi said. “The ministry implemented this intervention to enhance security following a series of breaches involving CIT vehicles.”
He disclosed that consultations to explore a sustainable exit of BPS from the costly service are ongoing.
“The ministry is currently in discussions with stakeholders to mitigate the financial implications of this operation with a view to finding a long-lasting solution to relieve the government of the engagement,” said Morekisi.
No longer necessary
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Security Association of Botswana (SAB), Samuel Grembo Kealotswe, says he is grateful to the government for the police escort service but it is no longer viable or necessary.
“We are grateful for the intervention but it is costly, slows down the cash delivery process, and puts vehicles at risk of accidents due to high speeds during escorts,” he said in an interview. “Since the operation started, many cash-in-transit vehicles have been involved in accidents.”
Kealotswe added that SAB has already proposed alternative models to the government. “We have benchmarked how cash transport operates in countries like Australia without police involvement,” he said.
Benchmarked
“We shared this proposal with former minister Kagiso Mmusi and remain hopeful it will be implemented once all consultations are finalised.”
Police escort of cash-in-transit vehicles was introduced in 2021 in response to an alarming rise in CIT heists across the country at the time.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
