Shoot-to-kill bears fruit
Pini Bothoko | Monday June 13, 2022 06:00
Of late, criminals have been wreaking havoc, a situation believed to have been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The robberies surfaced increasingly in the year 2021 carrying out weekly occurrences of crime in the country’s capital city, something that kept the police on their toes. There has been a sharp increase in petty crime as people continue to live in constant fear of criminals as they are attacked day in and out. Criminals continue to find their way into businesses, overpowering the police and security guards and making away with large sums of money despite the police’s determination to fight the scourge.
People are attacked and robbed at bus stops, speed humps and by the traffic lights, which have now become crime hot spots especially in Gaborone. Quizzed about the recent fatal shootings, on whether Botswana Police Service (BPS) has adopted the shoot to kill policy, BPS’ public relations officer, senior superintendent Near Bagali said post the 48th Botswana Police Senior Officers Annual Conference that was held in February, the service took a resolution to engage criminals.
Then, concerned by the increase in petty criminal activities, the Minister of Defence and Security, Kagiso Mmusi instructed the police to eliminate petty crime and those who committed such acts in whatever form possible.
“Post the 48th Botswana Police Senior Officers Annual Conference that was held early this year, we have resolved to adopt zero-tolerance stance against crime. We will continue to do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of Batswana and their property. We promised the nation that we will go all out and address constant fear amongst them and we are dealing with criminals who are always armed with weapons of war. When approaching criminals and they start firing shots at the police, we will surely engage them and causalities are bound to happen,” Bagali said.
Since the conference, the police have shot and killed 14 armed robbers after exchanging gunfire. Bagali said Batswana are now engulfed in fear because the streets are full of arms and ammunitions that include pistols and AK47 rifles.
“The use of fire arms is increasingly getting out of control and we are worried about the safety of the public and the police,” he said.
Barely a week after the minister’s remarks, police shot and killed 10 armed robbers at Phase 2 Gaborone after robbing Security Systems cash-in-transit motor vehicle of over P986, 000 at the Main mall in Gaborone. Furthermore, last April, police shot and killed a suspected armed robber following an encounter with them at Trans Cash and Carry in Tlokweng.
Earlier this week, in a continuing series of police versus robber shootouts, police also shot and killed two suspected armed robbers while two others got injured after exchanging fire with them.
Moreover, Bagali expressed concern about the prevalence of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) blasting incidents in which criminals have been making away with large sums of cash.
Asked what could be informing this type of crime, Bagali said there is an assumption by criminals that ATMs are always loaded with cash hence the target with culprits believed to be using explosives to blow up ATMs in a bid to steal money.
“Our streets are full of weapons of war and ammunition, explosives and the locals are to be blamed because they are working with foreigners especially from South Africa who are suspected to be behind the smuggling of weapons of war and explosives into the country. A lot needs to be done to curb this scourge but we promise Batswana that we will do whatever it takes to ensure their safety,” Bagali said.