Is Commissioner Makgope serious about fighting crime?

Richard Moleofe | Friday October 21, 2016 18:45

Of course we are not envisaging a country completely free of crime because there is none in Africa. However, there is a growing concern from citizens that there are so many attacks on our streets. This is not happening very far from the Police Commissioner’s headquarters at Government Enclave.

It is well known that Taung bus stop in Broadhurst is a haven for criminals. In the past, passengers alighting from buses from the north were usually targets of the criminals.  That was usually happening in the evenings, but the trend has since changed. It is now happening in broad daylight.

There are usually a number of people at any time of the day at this bus stop. But the robberies happen in their glare. These people have become helpless and there is really nothing they can do.

This is a growing racket and it shows that the profits are as well growing. This is so because the guys are coming everyday to the spots. This has become so prolific that some passengers have elected to disembark from alternative spots. This has therefore raised transport fees because most of the alternative spots do not have public transport in the form of mini-buses or combis.

Once the handbags are grabbed from the alighting passengers who are particularly women, the criminals take a stroll into the neighbourhood that lies between BBS Mall and the Nelson Mandela road. If anyone tries to pursue, they would end up nowhere because the robbers disappear into those neighbouring homes.

The dastardly business has spread into other areas of Gaborone. Still in Broadhurst, there is another hotspot for these criminals near Total Filling Station and the public is aware of this through the caring mini bus drivers. These drivers would normally warn their passengers of the impending trouble.

Daylight robberies are even more dangerous as the ordinary citizens are usually not suspecting anything untoward at that time of the day. It is not only Broadhurst that is under fire. Mogoditshane is equally under the grip of these criminals. Since this place became the motor capital of the country, criminal syndicates have thrived here. They usually stand outside of the spare parts dealerships to lure the unsuspecting people into getting into dead deals. These smartly-dressed fellows would usually offer the customers better deals outside of the premises of the business.

I have always had very little sympathy for such people when they become victims because in the first place they allowed themselves into dirty deals. If they did not have mercy for the garage owner when they were offered spare parts for close to nothing, why should we pity them?

The sad part of the Mogoditshane story is that these criminals have now resorted to following people to isolated spots and robbing them of their monies in broad daylight. Usually these victims would have done nothing to attract the criminals Is this the peace they envisaged when our leaders drafted their Vision 2016? If that’s the case then we are a lost nation. And what can be done to address this problem? There are a number of remedies that can be applied to cure this growing epidemic. The lead organisation in this fight would be Botswana Police Service. I wonder if the Commissioner has not realised that crime is recurring in the areas I have mentioned. Of course, he might be too busy to attend to such minutiae,  but he has officers that work under him. I am challenged to write on this subject matter because I have noticed a growing trend of these robberies in the last six weeks as they are recorded in  the weekly Police Report. These reports are supposed to be compiled and interpreted by statisticians.

But it seems with Botswana Police, such figures do not mean anything to them.

I therefore challenge the Commissioner of Police to rise to the challenge and take his officers out of their stupor. At the end of the day the blame squarely lies with the Commissioner. If he didn’t know, now he knows.

Mr Commissioner, allow me to give your officers the way forward on this matter. The only way to save Batswana out of this trouble is to do an operation against these criminal elements. Operation Setsokotsane should be launched to bring this problem to an abrupt end. We cannot allow lawlessness to thrive in a democracy like ours. Unless democracy is no longer for the people and by the people, as we were made to believe from our text books. We understand that there is always a shortage of manpower in the civil service, particularly with the police. But that understanding should not be used as an excuse for not acting. The insufficient manpower can be spread thinly to cover those areas of concern to members of the public. I have often looked at the Special Support Group and marvelled at their new outfit and vehicles. This is the group that could be used to launch Operation Setsokotswane. Setsokotsane is a Setswana word for whirl wind. This wind is usual fast and furious. Often, it comes with an element of surprise, taking with it every rubbish in its wake and dumping it far away. That is exactly what the city of Gaborone and its environs need at the moment.

We cannot continue to have crimes occurring only in low income areas while high income earners live in total and absolute peace. Democracy is for all classes in society and hence peace must be enjoyed by all. The ultimate solution for this country is to re-introduce flogging on the bare back because no kwaito adherent wants to see themselves kissing the ground. And that’s a topic for another day.