Hirschfeld: From Std II To Police Comissioner
Staff Writer | Monday February 15, 2016 15:54
The newspaper’s edition of April 1, 1974 wrote, “The police commissioner of an African nation visiting St Thomas for three days this week found little of the type of crime that makes up most of his time in his homeland”. The African police commissioner had told his American hosts that the major crimes in his country are cattle theft, poaching and diamond smuggling, none of which are common entries on Virgin Islands police blotters. The African police chief was also taken to Nevada, Las Vegas where he was keen to learn about how authorities handled problems that might accompany legalised gambling since his country had no gambling casinos.
I set out to find this African police commissioner and it took me six weeks to finally sit down with him. Every time we were supposed to meet he would either be taking his ailing wife to the doctor or he would be going to attend a meeting somewhere. I arrive at his home in Mogoditshane mid-morning and find him enjoying the breeze by the veranda. He is not impressed. I am 45 minutes late. “You should thank your ancestors that you found me still waiting for you. I still do things the Police way. Respect for time is one of the things I still practise”, he scolds me. I apologise profusely. He accepts my apology and his smile settles me. He will be clocking 81 years of age this year on the July 17, but he looks nothing closer to that age. He is still as fit as a fiddle.
Simon Hirschfeld holds the record for being the longest serving Police Commissioner in the world. He was Botswana Police Commissioner for 24 uninterrupted years. Not only that. He was the first citizen Police Commissioner having ascended that position in 1971.
Born and bred in Molepolole in 1935, Hirschfeld is an avid Catholic and was an altar boy back in 1942. He had four siblings but unfortunately one of them died in 2010, aged 45. Hirschfeld is blessed with four children; two females and two males. They are now all grown up and are all married. This explains why he stays alone with his wife. “Ke innela le mosadimogolo wame hela re le babedi,” he reveals. All his life, Hirschfeld has worked for only one employer; The Botswana Police. Well, unless you want to include the three months ‘piece’ job he got from Ishmael Khan’s butchery before he got a meaningful job as constable with the then Bechuanaland Mobile Police Force on May 1, 1956.
He joined the Police force armed with a Standard 2 certificate from a school in Molepolole. He did his Sub A in Mmopane. He thereafter moved with his mother’s relatives to do Sub B and Standard 1 in Letlhakeng. He completed his mandatory six months recruitment course in Gaborone and got his first big break the following year, 1957, when he was nominated to attend a Radio Operators Course. Now as a trained radio operator, he was posted in Francistown but his stay in the Ghetto was short-lived as only after three months he was transferred to Tsabong. Back in the day, travelling to Tsabong was no walk in the park. To get to Tsabong, you had to go via Mafikeng. Hirschfeld had to board a train from Francistown to Mafikeng where he would patiently wait for any government vehicle that was leaving Mafikeng going to Tsabong. As fate would have it, Hirschfeld’s transfer to Tsabong was cancelled while he was hitchhiking in Mafikeng, before he could even set foot in Tsabong. A certain Peter Mel, the man who was in charge of radio operations had just learnt Hirschfeld was a qualified driver with a licence. He stopped him from proceeding to Tsabong and posted him in Mafikeng to take up a new role as the driver for radio technicians and other police personnel. He was also assigned to drive what he had all along referred to as ‘kabus’. “I only learnt very recently that what we referred to as kabus is actually a cab-house”, he bursts into laughter as he shares his long held ignorance. He stayed in Mafikeng until 1963 when he was transferred to Lobatse to perform general duties. While in Lobatse, the station commander of Ramatlabama died and Hirschfeld had to go fill up the vacant post and became Acting Station Commander even though he was still a constable. He would go back to Lobatse before being transferred to Gaborone in 1965. He was now a corporal. In the same year, there was a salaries review commission headed by a British officer named Ramej. The salaries review abolished the rank of corporal so he automatically became a sergeant. In April 1966, Hirschfeld’s career in the police force was budding in the right direction as he was nominated to attend an overseas course in England at the prestigious Handen Police training school, just outside London. It is worth mentioning that even then, he would have laughed at you if you had suggested he will one day become a police commissioner. He came back from England in August 1966 and was promoted to the rank of Sub Inspector. At that time, preparations for the country’s independence were in high gear. During the independence celebrations in September, Hirschfeld was assigned to be Princess Marina’s ADC (aide-de-camp), a French expression meaning literally helper or personal assistant to high ranking officials such as head of state or royal family. Princess Marina was here representing Queen Elizabeth to declare Bechuanaland an independent country that was now to become Botswana. “I would hold her drinking glass and stand by her side throughout as she danced at the gala dinner. Kene kele motlhanka wa gagwe”, Hirschfeld recalls. President Seretse Khama must have been impressed by how Hirschfeld took care of Princess Marina as he thereafter roped him in as his aide-de-camp. This meant he was always standing behind President Khama in all his public appearances. He took a one year break from being President Khama’s shadow and went to Bramston, Yorkshire for an Inspectors Course.
Sometime in 1968, President Seretse Khama summoned all police top officials at the Village barracks and made an announcement that left many in shock and sent some into uncertainty. “I have decided that the top of the police service should be localised and this is going to happen in a few years time but not later than 1971”, Khama announced, much to the trepidation of foreign white officials who had been occupying top posts in the police force. Even then, Hirschfeld didn’t count himself among the lucky citizens who might be picked for those top posts. With his modest academic profile, he knew he stood no chance. He could only think Seretse wanted to follow in the footsteps of Uganda where top police officials had been dropped and replaced with teachers as it was believed teachers were educated and better placed to run the police force.
“Whites being whites, they had already smelt a rat. They knew Khama was getting rid of them”, says Hirschfeld. Surprisingly, as Hirschfeld would later understand why they suddenly endeared themselves to him, white police officers seemed to know that the next commissioner was going to be either Hirschfeld or Mompati Merafhe. One of the white officers called Hirschfeld aside and badmouthed his fellows, saying “These buggers are horrible and when you fire them please spare me. I’m the only one who is good”. Still, Hirschfeld didn’t understand what this guy was talking about. He would later learn that the same guy had approached Merafhe and made the same plea.
Four months later Hirschfeld and Merafhe were promoted to the rank of Superintendent. His promotion became rapid and shot like a bullet. In 1969 he was promoted to Senior Superintendent.
The following year he became Assistant Commissioner. In 1971 the then Deputy Commissioner was retired in terms of the pension scheme for foreigners. Hirschfeld became Deputy Commissioner. September 1st, 1971, will forever be etched in Hirschfeld’s heart. The day left an indelible mark in his career in the police force. It was on this day that he became the first Motswana Police Commissioner.
It wasn’t smooth sailing for him. He took over from Lieutenant Colonel James Bailey when he least expected it. Apparently, Bailey didn’t take it kindly. He then allegedly set out to frustrate his successor. “It was very difficult for us because the outgoing commissioner didn’t want to teach me anything. He withheld all vital information that I needed to continue where he had left”, Hirschfeld says with a face that mirrors the frustration he endured at the time. Hirschfeld says he later came to know Bailey’s aim was to have him blunder in his ignorance so he could be appointed his advisor. Hirschfeld had already made up his mind that he will have nothing to do with his predecessor.
He approached President Khama and told him, “Your Excellency, you have thrown us in the deep end. We don’t know what is going on here”. He then suggested to President Khama that they ask Assistant Superintendent Michael Macoun of the British Police for assistance. Hirschfeld had met Macoun in 1968 during his visit to Botswana. The request was for Macoun to deploy one of his officers to come and help Hirschfeld set up his work plan.
A week later, Macoun phoned, “I have the right man for you. Just come to England and have a chat with him”. Hirschfeld didn’t waste time and with President Seretse Khama’s blessing, he flew to England. He was impressed with the officer and it was agreed that the British officer would be seconded to Botswana for 12 months. The first anomaly that the British officer picked on arrival was the realisation that the Botswana police never had a forum where top police officials met and strategized and share ideas. That officer spent exactly 12 months in Botswana and went back to England.
Hirschfeld didn’t waste time implementing all the strategies he acquired from the British officer. In 1972, the Botswana police held its first senior officers conference. The tradition continues up to this day where every year senior police officers meet and discuss their work. “That first conference was an eye opener for us. We shared ideas and appreciated the importance of meeting occasionally to exchange notes and strategise”, he says with a sense of pride. He says he never led his officers through iron fist rule. “I didn’t lead by shouting out instructions to my officers. We exchanged ideas”, he says as though he would add “unlike somebody”.
Hirschfeld retired in 1995 after 39 years in the police service, 24 of which he served as the Commissioner. He says he has no intentions of retiring to the cattle post. He has left his son to take care of the cattle as he is not fond of farm life. He is however not lost to public service as he continues to serve the country in various capacities as Board member of several organisations. Hirschfeld is the Chairman of Citizenship Committee under the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs. His committee evaluates all applications for citizenship and make recommendations to the Minister who then makes the final decision on whether the citizenship must be granted or declined. He is also the Chairman of the Public Service Commission which deals with public officers grievances such as dismissal from work, denied promotions, demotions, surcharges and a litany of other grievances. By virtue of his position in the Public Service Commission, he automatically becomes a member of the Judicial Service Commission. He is also a Board Director at Botswana Building Society.