Botswana faces influx of weapons of war
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Monday February 28, 2022 06:01
With the streets full of arms and ammunition that include pistols and AK47s, Batswana are now engulfed in fear. While the use of firearms is increasingly getting out of control, the police are worried about public safety as well as the safety of the police.
Just this week on Wednesday, the police foiled a cash-in-transit heist, which was committed by heavily armed robbers. According to the police, 10 men aged between 20 and 35 of Botswana and South African origin died in an exchange of fire with members of the Botswana Police Service at Phase 2 in Gaborone.
This followed an incident in which 11 armed men attacked and robbed Security Systems cash-in-transit motor vehicle of over P986,000 at the Main Mall in Gaborone.
Police spokesperson, assistant commissioner Dipheko Motube said the robbers fled the scene and were, later on, followed and confronted by the police where an exchange of fire ensued resulting in fatal wounds to some of the robbers, while one officer sustained injuries.
From the incident, the police recovered four pistols and an Ak47 assault rifle from the robbers. This is not the first case in which the police had recovered arms of war. Last year, the police recorded a spate of cash-in-transit robberies in which the suspects were armed to the teeth.
For example, in one of the incidents reported in December 2021, five men inclusive of two Batswana, two South Africans and a Zimbabwean were arrested for possession of arms and ammunition and an alleged expensive stolen car worth more than P1 million. The suspects were caught in possession of a revolver, pistol F98 and pistol type 54, as well as 18 live ammunition, which they did not have any licence authorising them to possess the weapons.
In another one, the police arrested two South African men in possession of an AK47 rifle, pistol and several live rounds of ammunition. The men were arrested at Block 3, Gaborone.
Most of the recovered firearms were from suspects who could be involved in different types of crime, especially money heists. There is no doubt how dangerous these people are because they are always ready to use these firearms to take what they want, as well as defend their lives and what they have acquired. They can be used on ordinary people or the police.
The big question remains; where do these arms of war come from?
According to Motube, the infiltration of these arms of war is worrying, as it has now placed the public in fear. Without substantiating his words with statistics of the number of illegal firearms they have recovered, Motube said it is very alarming.
He explained that what is even more worrisome is that firearms recovered from robbery suspects are not just ordinary guns, but arms of war mostly pistols and AK47s.
“It is very hard to know where these arms of war come from because we don’t issue licences to individuals in Botswana for this type of firearms. If you see these types of firearms not possessed by a member of one of the law enforcement agencies, it should raise eyebrows,” Motube said.
Whilst he couldn’t tell the origin of these firearms, he however said they have serious suspicions that the firearms come from neighbouring countries. “This is because if you look at the suspects in possession of these weapons, they are in most cases a mixture of Batswana and others from neighbouring countries,” he added. Motube said the police are equally concerned about the safety of the citizens but are ready to clean up the streets. He said the influx of these guns brings fear among the citizens and erode public trust in the police.
However, following the recent remarks by the Minister of Defence, Justice and Security Kagiso Mmusi, instructing the police to do everything to eliminate petty crime suspects, and the police senior conference resolving to adopt zero-tolerance towards crime, Motube said the police are ready to fight back to restore public trust.
He said the police mandate is to ensure that the public enjoys freedom of any type without any fear. “This is where we come in to do everything to create a safer environment for the public”.
Motube said they might be losing the battle but they are not losing the war. He said as it is, they are on top of the situation, with recent incidents turning out to be very good lessons for the law enforcement agencies on how to deal with the situation. Moreover, he said they will continue to work with other law enforcement agencies in the regions with whom they share excellent cordial relations on permanent joint commissions in an effort to fight this influx of illegal firearms into the country.