‘Operation Clean Greater Gaborone’ starts on high note
Pini Bothoko | Tuesday March 14, 2023 06:00
The anti-robbery operation that started a week ago had about 100 police officers from each district on the ground patrolling the streets of the city and crime-prone neighbouring villages. Working with the law enforcement arm, members of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) helped bring peace and calm to residents.
Residents of the Greater Gaborone live in constant fear of criminals even in the comfort of their homes and cars something that forced the minister to issue an instruction. Mmusi had revealed that criminals are having a field day in the Greater Gaborone as they continue to attack people by their gates, break into people’s homes at night, attack home owners in their sleep and then take their valuables by force. “I expect you ... to fight home invasions with everything you can.
I urge you to take weapons and fight. Do whatever it takes to eliminate this scourge as it has the potential of harming the country’s image as it compromises trade and investment opportunities,” Mmusi said at a recent Senior Officers Conference. As promised a week ago at the police conference, with the help of the army, law enforcement took to the streets of the Greater Gaborone.
Already, 171 cases have been recorded with charges ranging across different offences. Quizzed about the operation, No.13 officer Commanding, Senior Superintendent Agreement Mapeu revealed to have collected P14,170 as admission of guilt fines from offenders in his area after they were charged for different offences.
Mapeu said they had more than 100 police officers on the ground that were targeting hot spot areas and charged people across all offences. “The targeted hot spots in the No.13 district were Gabane, Tsolamosese, Mmopane Block 1, Mogoditshane Block 5 and 9, Old Naledi, Mmokolodi, Gaborone West, Block 6, Phase 4, Block 8, 9, 10, Gaborone North, and Mmopane village respectively.
"As a result of the operation under violation of traffic offences we recorded 19 cases of people who were driving without drivers’ licenses, 17 people were charged for drunken driving, 13 people were charged for driving unlicensed mother vehicles, 22 for over speeding, and 16 people were charged for failure to provide breath specimen,” Mapeu said.
Moreover, Mapeu said seven people were charged for operating bars beyond stipulated hours, five cases were recorded for trading without a traders’ license and one was charged for operating a tuck-shop beyond stipulated hours.
“We have since established that these tuck shops will be open even after midnight selling alcohol. We also charged four people for trading in traditional beer without a license and 19 people were charged for drinking alcohol in prohibited areas.
Eight cases of noise and nuisance by drunken person, two cases of possession of substances suspected to be dagga, five cases of idling and disorderly, a case of public indecency and five cases of illegal immigrants were also recorded,” he said. Sharing the same sentiments, No.3 Officer Commanding, Senior Superintendent Theriso Thatayotlhe said the same number of police officers were on the ground and for the first time they did not record cases of home invasion robberies amongst their hotspot areas in the district. “Residents of Phakalane, Tsholofelo East and some areas in Tlokweng have been having sleepless nights being terrorised by criminals who attack them even in the comfort of their homes and cars.
We had more than 100 police officers on the ground and recorded 18 drug-related cases and seized substances suspected to be marijuana,” he said. Thatayotlhe said they also charged women who were masquerading as street vendors at entertainment places premises while selling alcohol, illegal cigarettes and substances suspected to be dagga from under their tables.