Africa-Press – Botswana. General elections are a fundamental right accorded to every eligible Motswana to elect the political leadership of their choice and must be protected at all times, therefore necessitating a safe, secure and peaceful environment for the smooth conduct of the exercise, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has said.
Dr Masisi, who was officiating at the 50th Botswana Police Service Senior Officers Annual Conference in Gaborone on February 20 therefore said in that regard the role of Botswana Police Service was central to ensuring such peaceful environment.
He implored the police to ensure compliance with the rule of law by all without fear or favour during the buildup to, and post general elections.
“As usual, Batswana and the international community look forward in anticipation towards a democratic, fair and credible election process. The credibility of this national exercise depends to a larger extent, on the effective facilitation and enforcement of the elections processes and legislation, both during political campaigns and the election day itself. I therefore, urge you as a critical stakeholder in this important process, to more than ever before prepare and ensure that you contribute and deliver diligently and effectively on your expected mandate,” he said.
Dr Masisi therefore advised the police leadership to mobilise resources and educate officers about the elections mandate and law enforcement expectations as early as now to ensure that the elections process would not be compromised.
He assured the police of government’s continued provision of necessary resources for effective law enforcement, such as adequate manpower, infrastructural developments, transport and information technology in order to enhance police efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery.
“As I indicated during the last State of the Nation Address, manpower will continue to be increased to enhance police visibility as demonstrated by the approval of 1 000 trainees during the 2022/2023 financial year and another 1 000 for the current financial year 2023/2024,” he said.
The President said that the deployment of this additional resource should translate into reduced crime and enhanced safety of people.
Dr Masisi also reiterated government’s resolve to construct additional police facilities in line with its commitment of bringing public services closer to the people.
Such include police stations, institutional houses and specialised facilities such as child friendly centres and said this should enable the police to effectively discharge their mandate.
Dr Masisi also reminded the police of the need to align to and embrace government’s Reset and Reclaim agenda priorities, notably digitalisation, value chain development and mindset change as important drivers of a transformational journey towards national prosperity.
He said in striving to achieving prosperity for all by 2036 and graduating the national economy to an upper-income status, government would continue to prioritise people’s safety and security in order to ensure that the desired national goals were achieved.
“There is no doubt that safety and security are the basis for this achievement. I would, therefore, like to encourage all Botswana Police Service members to remain disciplined and loyal to the Constitution, continuously uphold the rule of law, closely adhere to organisational core values, observe human rights and be exemplary at all times,” he said.
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