Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana Police Service (BPS) has embraced a multi-sectoral approach to combat crime which is a national security threat that has a devastating impact on society.
Speaking during BPS National Crime Prevention Conference in Gaborone, Commissioner of Police Ms Dinah Marathe said the multi-sectoral approach would enable various community stakeholders to collaborate in identifying local crime issues, developing solutions and implementing preventative measures to ensure their safety.
“This goes to validate our organisational mission, which spells that we will provide a professional policing service, in partnership with the community,” she said.
These partnerships, she said were aimed at reducing crime and the fear of crime through community involvement, mostly under the leadership of dikgosi. Ms Marathe indicated that police partnerships had transformed from crime prevention to community and cluster policing.
“It is worth noting that as of December 2024, there were at least 774 active community policing clusters nationally as compared to 750 in 2023. This is a commendable development because we need more clusters for wider coverage and maximum impact,” Ms Marathe said.
Similarly, on the general crime situation in Botswana, Ms Marathe said according to crime statistical analysis, crime remained relatively manageable in this country, as affirmed by general reductions recorded in crime.
The police commissioner said the country realised an eight per cent reduction in total crime in 2024, having recorded 146 529 cases as compared to 159 680 cases in 2023. Whilst this indicated a downward trend, she noted that there was need for continuous engagement to refine efforts, not to just aim for statistical reductions but also to demonstrate a reduction in the fear of crime and reinforcement of public assurance and trust in the police.
“I must reiterate that we remain grateful for the unrelenting support we continue to receive from government through the able leadership and guidance of President Advocate Duma Boko, in the discharge of our mandate,” she said.
She therefore reiterated the BPS commitment to an intentional and deliberate crime management strategy that prioritised the safety and security of the citizens of Botswana. Ms Marathe said that BPS had in its new roadmap adopted “Let the Voice of the Customer leads you,” as its service pledge, demonstrating its commitment to putting customer first.
“We recognise that it is imperative to depart from the traditional policing methods and practices and instead embrace new and relevant ways of policing the current era, whilst prioritising the voice of the customer in order to remain relevant in our law enforcements efforts,” she said.
The commissioner said it should be noted that rapid advances in technology presented viable opportunities for both development and offending, making policing the cyber space even more challenging hence a direct call on law enforcement to continually strategise and come up with robust solutions to address current criminal trends.
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