Govt beefs up security in Jwaneng

Lebogang Baingapi | Monday June 8, 2015 14:19

As part of the measure, Kgathi said police officers in Jwaneng have been increased to 167, of which 36 are special constables. He said the mining town was important to the government as it produces the precious stone, which is a major contributor to the economy.

The minister told the residents of the relocation of diamond cutting and sorting to Botswana in the recent years. He said while such moves help grow the economy, crime can scare off investors.

He said statistics from the Jwaneng police show that burglary offences have increased from 12 to 21 in 2014/15. “Murder has increased from Zero to two, rape from 10 to 12, assault from 76-94 while unlawful wounding increased from five to 20 cases,” he explained.

The Minister was pleased though that other offences like store breaking, house breaking and robbery have decreased.

He advised residents to demand police patrol of their homes every day to ensure safety of their properties and lives.

Also, Kgathi implored the community and business people to come up with mainstream security that will benefit the safety of their properties and lives. He said the government is encouraging private security companies to develop security officers who can complement the police. He expressed worry that there were some companies that pay their employees late, with some not paying the right amount of benefits. He vowed to take serious actions against such companies.

On other issues, Kgathi said a tendency by some residents to loot goods from fallen trucks along Trans Kalahari Highway is a crime and perpetrators would be prosecuted.

One of the residents, Matshidiso Ramogobya told Kgathi that the fight against crime can better be won when police officers are given guns. She added that the government should ensure that police officers are given enough transport to ensure quick attendance of incidents and quality service delivery. Another resident, Onkabetse Mathaithai called on the Minister to intervene in a case where he is accusing one foreign tailor of grabbing all tenders to supply school uniforms to the six schools, while the locals in the community doing the same business are sidelined. He said the minister should advocate for fair distribution of tenders. Kgathi assured the residents that the council will keep an eye on the awarding of tenders to make sure that the local businesses are not disadvantaged.