Maun festive revellers cautioned
Boniface Keakabetse | Wednesday December 17, 2014 20:52
Hundreds of visitors descend on the tourist town every festive season, but many end affected by or embroiled in crime. Yesterday, Officer Commanding District No 5, Senior Superintendent Chabaesele Kesupetswe, told Mmegi that police will be on high alert to prevent crime during the festive period. He said more officers would be deployed on the streets of Maun to curb lawlessness.
“We have enough manpower and enough vehicles for all our festive operations,” he said. “Moreover we will call in reinforcements from the Botswana Defence Force.”
According to the regional top cop, the main crimes during the festive season in Maun are drunken driving, rape and incidents of drowning associated with drunkenness.
One such incident occurred on Monday when a 26-year-old woman was raped after a drunken outing at a popular nightclub in the town. “Three men and three ladies came from the club and slept together in a single room. On Tuesday, one of them reported that a male acquaintance had forced himself on her. “We are still hunting for the suspect,” Kesupetswe said. He said cases of drunken driving have already started rising, although he could not give statistics. Kesupetswe also urged revellers who cannot swim to stay away from rivers and other water bodies, while those who can should not attempt to do so while intoxicated. “People should not attempt to swim when they know they cannot swim,” he said. “Besides, these rivers are very dangerous and are infested with crocodiles.” Members of the public are also requested to report suspicious activities over the holiday period and to also not leave their premises and homes unattended.