Trust in law enforcement short commodity

The Monitor Editor | Tuesday March 22, 2022 06:00

While some people seemed to believe that the law should take its course, there is another camp that seemed to feel that the arrests amounted to harassment of the former president’s twin brothers, and Tshekedi’s wife Thea, who was also detained and released at a later stage. The Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) and Botswana Police Service (BPS) have previously detained ‘suspects’, something which was happening even under the rule of the former president, Ian Khama.

Of course now and then we would hear complaints of police brutality, innocent people being detained for questioning, but the outcry is never this loud. While law enforcement agencies should be kept under strict scrutiny to ensure none of the organisations trample on anyone’s rights, the very same organisations should be allowed to carry out their duties without fear or favour. Information as to why the trio was arrested has not been released as yet, but some people are already making assumptions that DIS officers are harassing the Khamas.

I believe it is every citizen’s wish to live in our country where laws apply to all individuals equally, regardless of whether one has a prominent identity or is just an ordinary citizen. Some of those who have been vocal on social media about this issue have pronounced the Khama brothers’ innocence even before information on the full details of the investigations are released.

Understandably, each suspect is innocent until proven guilty, and for law enforcement to prove someone is guilty they would have collected sufficient evidence to make such a case. The question of suspects is not a new phenomenon, it is something that has been around for a very long time, of which some suspects have been charged with a crime and some have walked due to lack of evidence linking them to the crime they were being questioned for or accused of. We are living in the days when anything that happens in the country turns political.

Former president through his Facebook Timeline penned a long statement criticising President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s government and the DIS, and in summary politicised the arrests. While there were rumours that the trio was denied legal counsel, information has surfaced that the trio’s attorneys were allowed to meet with their lawyers, in the presence of DIS officers.

Up to now, we have not heard of any brutality on the part of DIS as of the arrests, but if any law enforcement officers have in any way abused their powers and in the process denied the trio their rights or trampled upon their rights, then we should all stand up as a country and march against such treatment. On the other hand, if the trio were being questioned as suspects of crime(s) committed, law enforcement officers should be allowed to do their work. The laws of the country should be applied equally regardless of economic or political status.