Of certified copies by the Botswana police

Correspondent | Monday June 23, 2014 11:38

At Gaborone Central Police Station alone the certified copies desk spills over with customers every weekday. At this desk, the police certify all sorts of credentials, from birth certificates to Phd certificates! On any given day one will find an officer presented with an original and copies by a customer. One quick glance at the original and first copy and stamp hits paper for the rest of the copies, then next customer please!”

 My gripe with this arrangement is, to what extent are our police officers capacitated to ascertain security features on certificates from different universities, various government departments, and a broad based awarding bodies? The other day, when I was a customer there, a certain gentleman who was from UAE was getting some documents certified. I asked myself if the poor officer understood the Arabic that was written on those credentials.

 I posit that awarding bodies should certify the documents they issue, not the police. Local employers and other institutions should also stop this fixation on certified copies by the police as it piles unnecessary pressure on the police.

 

Donald Moagi

Mochudi