Police Celebrates 133 Years

Pini Bothoko | Monday August 7, 2017 17:06

 

President Ian Khama was the guest at the event and he inspected the ceremonial guard of honour mounted by members of the BPS.

The event was decorated with a colourful parade comprised of various units of the police department who kept spectators  entertained throughout the event.

Hundreds of Gaborone residents flocked the event that was attended by dignitaries, amongst them the national commissioner of the Royal Swaziland Police Issac Magagula, the commissioner of Namibian Police Force Monalisa Molebugi, the Minister of Defence, Justice and Security Shaw Kgathi and the chairperson of the Gerald Estate community cluster policing Kgosi Paul Motshwane. Kgosi Motshwane graced the event under the invitation of the police commissioner, Makgophe after having excelled, and taken the highest ministerial award of the cluster policing recently at an event that was held in Selebi-Phikwe. The community cluster policing excelled in fighting crime at community level.

The activities of the day were a tug of war by men and women from the BPS, Special Support Group (SSG) and the Botswana Defense Force (BDF), simulation of crime scenes and self defence, silent drills, horse displays, athletics in which BPS, SSG and BDF were competing. There was also air display in which the police displayed how they respond to emergency arrests.

The BPS spokesperson, assistant commissioner Witness Bosija said the BPS celebrates its day to reflect on their past,  celebrate their achievements and map the way forward. to a better tomorrow 

He said the celebration is also held to reflect on the BPS’s long history transforming and reforming itself to become what it is today as it dates back to 1884, the time when 100 men were assembled by the British to form the Bechuanaland Mounted Police.

He said the names changed with times to Bechuanaland Border Police in 1885, Bechuanaland Protectorate Police in 1902 and eventually the name was changed to Botswana Police Force in 1966 until it was rebranded to BPS in 1997.

“Today we are a community-oriented organisation as we police through the collaboration that we put in place together with the community. Together, we have managed to achieve a lot in our efforts to fight crime,” Bosija said. Bosija stated that the police have over the years managed to fight crime to restore peace in Botswana.

“In order to attract investors into the country, as well as to maintain peace, the issues of law and order should exist. We have intensified public education for communities and they have played a significant role in helping the police in terms of policing because the people who commit crime live amongst them,” he said.

Bosija added that they have also improved their surveillance and detection methods at ports of entry and intensified border patrols. 

He said of recent they realised a spike in armed robberies and they have been working hard to curb the problem as they have intensified their visibility on the ground with uniformed and un-uniformed officers, something that seem to be helpful towards the reduction of crime.