New crime NGO launched

EUNICE MASIE
Correspondent | Thursday January 24, 2013 00:00

Speaking at the launch of the Fight Crime in Botswana (FCIB) Trust, Phenyo Motlhagodi the spokesperson of the NGO said the organisation was formed because the problem at hand has overwhelmed law enforcement agencies.'Botswana has been praised for being a peaceful country and we cannot rely on law enforcement agencies alone to maintain peace,' he said. He asserted that the community must actively take part in the fight against crime. He encouraged Batswana to take responsibility in making the country safe.

FCIB began as a pressure group on Facebook and was registered as an NGO in July 2012 although it has existed for the past five years. Motlhagodi said they set up a committee and decided to register the trust because not all of its members are active and they wanted to reach out to people who were not familiar with the group. 'The committee feels that it is the responsibility of every adult individual to ensure the safety of his or her family, as well as communities and that a joint effort between residents and law enforcement agencies is required,' he said. He urged the public to look out for Facebook groups such as Fight Crime in Phikwe, Francistown, Maun and others.He said FCIB plans to move out of Gaborone and expand to other parts of the country. He said the NGO will launch its website, which will have useful tips such as establishing crime fighting groups, how to seek assistance from police, maps and addresses of police stations in Botswana and weekly crime statistics. He said they want to involve social organisations such as churches in the fight against crime.

He said they would expose criminal activity even among their sponsors in line with the values of the organisation.Senior police officer, Foreman Baganetswe said at the launch that the security forces alone cannot deal with the escalating crime, hence there is need for organisations such as FCIB to join the fight. He appreciated the efforts of the NGO in crime reduction initiatives. 'These activities will take us further and involve people.  The police have strategies in place and with the ones already existing, I am sure that crime statistics in Botswana can be lowered,' he said.

Baganetswe encouraged FCIB to unite the community and fight crime despite teething challenges it may experience.The private secretary to the Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Madoda Nasha pointed out the importance of social media in developing the country and mentioned that FCIB is one of the positive products of social media. He encouraged the FCIB board of trustees to continue communication with the police to prevent problems.