BPS to introduce CCTV
Pini Bothoko | Monday November 20, 2017 18:00
This follows the signing of a two-year contract by the Botswana Police Service (BPS) commissioner, Keabetswe Makgophe and the managing director of Huawei Botswana Ren Fujun for the commencement of the safer city project.
In a press release that was recently issued by the BPS public relations section, the police revealed that Makgophe said that the project was necessary for the police’s delivery of effective policing to Batswana through the use of surveillance cameras.
Makgophe said through this project Batswana would look forward to crime free streets and improved security in general. He noted that the project would commence in Gaborone followed by Francistown in the next financial year 2018-2019.
In the release Makgophe said the multi-million pula project is intended to keep Gaborone and Francistown much safer and secure by virtue of being the major centres of development and economic drivers for the country. Makgophe revealed that they intended to roll out the project to other parts of the country in future if it proves to be sustainable and effective.“Fujun assured the commissioner that they would honour the agreement and make sure the project is completed on time,” read the release.
Reached for further comments, the BPS public relations officer, Dipheko Motube confirmed that indeed soon the police would introduce a safer city programme in order to build capacities for policing the city of Gaborone by means of CCTV technology.
Asked when the project will exactly be rolled out, Motube said that it would take effect in the next financial year.
He assured the country that through the use of surveillance cameras, the public’s security would be guarded at all costs. He said that the cameras would be installed within the city streets and along the roads in a bid to make the country and the roads safer.
Motube said the use of surveillance cameras would address the efficiency of the response process as well as to speed up the investigation and detection of crime. “It is not a secret that Botswana is in dire need of crime mitigation following increase in crimes-related offences. The city of Gaborone is faced with an increase of violent crimes like armed robbery, smash-and-grab, pick-pocketing, home invasions to mention, but a few that can be curbed through the use of surveillance cameras,” Motube said.
The devices are increasingly be relied upon to buttress evidence in courts around the world.
In the past, criminals have walked free from the courts, as those mandated with their investigation and prosecution failed to present and sustain evidence that is sufficiently solid to obtain convictions.