Police should be exemplary

Mmegi Editor | Thursday February 18, 2016 12:50

The BPS will achieve this by working as a team with their stakeholders and the community in contributing to the national road safety strategy by enforcing the traffic laws of Botswana, facilitating the free and orderly flow of traffic, and assisting in educating road users.

The service also acknowledged that many external factors influence road deaths and injuries. It appears that the very same service has thrown its own vision out of the window.

This week this publication reported a shocking story about the roads accidents involving the police vehicles. The source of this information is none other than Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Shaw Kgathi.

Kgathi disclosed all these during the opening of the Officers Annual Conference held in Gaborone. Despite praising the BPS for the invaluable contribution they continue to make towards the growth and diversification of Botswana’s economy by providing a secure and safe environment, Kgathi condemned the reckless driving common amongst officers.

At least 38 road accidents involving police vehicles have been reported thus far this year, a development that has been strongly condemned by Kgathi. The minister provided statistics that sent shockwaves down the spine of senior police management. This is the information that has not been in the public domain and we commend Kgathi for exemplary leadership.

We do not want to sound repetitive but this year alone it was noted that at least 38 vehicles were involved in the road accidents. And most of the time the BPS members were wrong. For instance, this month alone nine cases have been recorded and six police officers were at fault and charged.

This shows that we have members of the police who are reckless drivers. Some of them are a menace to few drivers and other road users.

They have developed a tendency of thinking they are supreme than ordinary people on the road. The abuse of police vehicle sirens is the order of the day in some areas even when the officers are rushing to perform private duties. This has to stop. How do the police expect the rest of the people to obey traffic laws when they, custodians of the law, are bad role models?

These accidents are clear abuse of taxpayers’ money and should not be entertained anymore. Police Commissioner Keabetswe Makgophe should crack the whip.

Today’s thought

“At the rate which the police are wrecking their own fleet, I am concerned as the minister responsible that we may fail in our efforts at reducing crime due to lack of transport.”

– Shaw Kgathi