Guidelines put in place for Adopt-a-Police Station initiative
Botswana Police Service has allayed fears it could be subjecting itself to capture and corruption over the Adopt-a-Police station initiative.
Police Commissioner, Dinah Marathe has stated that to ensure transparency and accountability, the BPS has established clear guidelines on the partnerships it seeks including the Adopt-A Police Station initiative. She indicated that whilst the initiative is generally open, a vetting process has been put in place to sieve out those that may not have good intentions in seeking such partnerships.
“The Adopt-A-Police initiative, simply, compliments and consolidates the tried and tested community policing concept. It is not a new concept but an extension of existing community partnerships that have long been in place.
“It was emphasised at the Breakfast Activation meeting by the Commissioner of Police to the business community that those willing to come on board should know that there would be no preferential treatment for anyone,” she explained.
Vice President Slumber Tsogwane this week reiterated that the construction of the 28 Police Stations across the country would definitely enhance community outreach and translate into increased police visibility, improved crime prevention and detection as well as improved police response time. He pointed out that the Botswana Police Service has realised that it cannot succeed in the fight against crime alone and has since embraced Community
Policing as a force multiplier. Tsogwane implored various sectors of the community, such as civil society, churches, schools, and businesses, to form partnerships with the Police.
“It is in recognition of the important role that the community can play in ensuring public safety and security, peace and stability in the country, that I launched a very important community outreach programme of the Botswana Police Service, a week ago; the Adopt-A-Police-Station initiative.
“Since the launch of this initiative, 83 percent of Police Stations have been adopted by the business community with only a few remaining. This demonstrates our communities’ willingness to partner with the Police to ensure peace and security in our country,” Tsogwane said.
The vice president stated that the country has to do everything to resource the police so that they are able to deal with today’s policing demands. The world we live in has become more complex owing to the impact of globalisation and technological advancement, Tsogwane said, adding that Botswana like all countries of the modern world is faced with new and sophisticated crimes such as transnational organised crime and cybercrimes.
Marathe pointed out that the concept of involving the community in the prevention of crime is the cornerstone of policing in Botswana. This concept, she said, can be traced back to community policing that was executed by Dikgosi before the advent of modern police structures that was introduced during the colonial era.
“Dikgosi, through regiments or mephato, mobilised their communities to prevent crime, and ensure safety and security. The Botswana Police Service borrowed leaf from this concept and introduced the Crime Prevention
Strategy in 1984.
“The organisation recognised that measures to reduce crime and assuring communities public safety could not be left to the police and the criminal justice system alone,” she said.
In 2003, the concept of Community Policing was adopted to intensify the fight against complexity of crime, through community engagement, developing relevant strategies to address crime issues and seeking to help unite communities against crime.