Rise in murder cases worries police chief
Pini Bothoko | Tuesday February 21, 2017 15:03
Makgophe stated that most of these murders occurred at cattle-posts and drinking places and are mostly as a result of conflicts arising from amongst others intimate relationships.
Addressing the 45th Botswana Police Senior Officers Annual Conference last week, he said the police recorded 278 cases in 2015, which increased to 305 in 2016.
Other serious crimes such as rape and threat-to-kill are also of great concern to the senior police officer. “This is a sign of a deep-rooted societal problem, which demands a concerted effort from all stakeholders in order to curb this senseless loss of human life,” Makgophe said.
He revealed to have also observed a development where parents brutally murdered their innocent minors to an extent of beheading them.
Gender Based Violence (GBV) has also attracted the attention of the conference that was held at Special Support Group (SSG) Band Hall as a contributing factor to murder.
The conference resolved to intensify public education in areas where the offences mostly occur as well as to engage stakeholders and civil society to leverage a multi-sectorial approach beyond law enforcement.
The police said that GBV is a societal scourge caused by so many issues hence the need to speak to many stakeholders.
In the past it was reported that Botswana, a country known for its peace and commitment to the rule of law, women and girls still remain victims of violence at alarming rates.
It was also revealed that violence against women has significant economic costs. These include health-care costs, lost income for women, decreased productivity and negative impacts across generations.
The conference pointed out that GBV not only affects the health, dignity and security of women and girls, it threatens the entire societies by fueling cycles of violence and inhibiting economic growth.
Makgophe said the issue of GBV has a direct correlation with the growth in murder cases and more effort is needed to combat the problem. “As the police we take comfort in the fact that over 90% of the murder cases were detected in 2016,” Makgophe said.
Makgophe said the Government has been addressing GBV at the highest levels.
“We (police) have been partnering with the Ministry of Basic Education to train teachers on GBV, review sexual harassment policies and design standard operating procedures for addressing GBV in a school setting,” Makgophe said.