The conference brought together key stakeholders, including lawmakers, captains of the industry, senior government officials, traditional leaders (Dikgosi), and community cluster policing chairpersons from across the country. The President’s presence served as a morale booster for law enforcement officers and stakeholders, reinforcing the need for a united front in combating crime. The conference provided lawmakers with insights into the dynamics of crime, enabling them to make informed policy decisions in the future. It also allowed stakeholders to identify their roles in crime prevention, recognising that law enforcement officers often arrive at crime scenes after incidents have already occurred. The conference marks a significant step in Botswana’s fight against crime, setting the stage for a more integrated and proactive approach to ensuring national security and public safety. With gender-based violence (GBV) on the rise, particularly in private spaces, the conference underscored the role of communities in crime prevention.
The President acknowledged that effective crime prevention strategies must involve those closest to the victims, families, neighbours, and community leaders. In his keynote address, President Boko emphasised the importance of collaboration in crime prevention, highlighting the need for law enforcement agencies and communities to work together, stating that crime cannot be fought by the police alone. He expressed the need for the police to cooperate with Botswana Defence Force (BDF) like they did during the festive season and rolled out operation Pabalesego, stating that they were visible and dealt with most of violent crimes. “We face another developing type of crime, which is violence against the person often called GBV. This is a very complex species of crime because it originates in private spaces where the Constitution assures people of their privacy. Against this prohibition, crime resides there, lives are lost, people are injured physically and emotionally. How do we police these private spaces? It is a difficult question,” he said.
Boko further raised the need to appreciate that victims in these cases are not quick to report or share. They conceal because sometimes it is embarrassing, humiliating and violating their dignity and they do not want to tell other people their ordeals. The President said these types of crimes grow because there is very little that can be done and it is not easy to detect it. “There is no early warning, we only see it when it erupts in loss of lives or an injury. How do we deal with this? I hope you will look into this and help us with ideas in partnership and collaboration especially with the community and individuals. Our people need to trust the police to be able to confide, especially couples, to curb these killings like churches do,” he said.
He disclosed the need to appreciate the role of churches and other counsellors in the community, stating the need to capacitate them to effectively carry out these roles and to become early warning system. However, the President further appreciated the work that is being done by the police as they are exposed to trauma when handling these cases as first responders. “Do these experiences that they go through not then pre-expose them to acting without regard for human life and human safety after seeing so many dead bodies that another dead body doesn’t mean anything? We need to consider these issues, and when we consider them it may become necessary to point out short comings in the systems that we use now and point out issues you might point out privately that the government is failing to take care of the following issues confronting the situation with honesty,” said Boko. The Botswana Police Service (BPS) welcomed the platform as an opportunity to reflect on their strategies and strengthen their relationship with the public. They reiterated their commitment to engaging communities in crime prevention efforts, stressing that early intervention is crucial in reducing criminal activities. Police Commissioner, Dinah Marathe, re-committed to approach their business with the required agility, vitality and boldness, in order to achieve effective service delivery, in terms of ensuring the security and welfare of Batswana, including smooth facilitation of investment and job opportunities. Acknowledging that crime is a national security threat that has devastating impact on society in general, Marathe said the service has embraced a multi-sectoral approach in which various community stakeholders collaborate in identifying their local crime issues, develop solutions and implement preventative measures to ensure their safety. She stated that this goes to validate their organisational mission, which spells that they will provide a professional policing service, in partnership with the community. Marathe stated that it is worth noting that as of December 2024, there were at least 774 active community policing clusters nationally as compared to 750 in 2023.
“This is a commendable development because we need more clusters for wider coverage and maximum impact. Some of the key topics to be interrogated during this conference include, inter-alia, crime trends, policing strategies and initiatives, best approaches to crime prevention, strengthening partnerships, role of courts in crime prevention and mental health in relation to crime,” she said. Marathe said the diversity of this agenda is meant to offer an opportunity for comprehensive deliberations, focusing on both emerging domestic and transnational organised crime, especially considering the dynamic and cross border implications of contemporary crime. She further revealed that rapid advances in technology presents viable opportunities for both development and offending, making policing the cyber space even more challenging hence a direct call on law enforcement to continually strategise and come up with robust solutions to address current criminal trends. “In 2024, we realised an 8% reduction in total crime, having recorded 146 529 cases as compared to 159 680 cases in 2023. Whilst this indicates a downward trend, there is need for continuous engagement to refine our efforts not to just aim for statistical reductions but also to demonstrate a reduction in the fear of crime and reinforcement of public assurance and trust in the police. There is no magic formula to combat crime. It requires a collective effort from all sectors of society, especially from those who witness these crimes firsthand,” Marathe said.
She said the conference is one of their many initiatives intended to solicit ideas and explore strategies for collaboration among various stakeholders in enhancing community safety. “We recognise that it is imperative to depart from the traditional policing methods and practices and instead embrace new and relevant ways of policing the current era, whilst prioritising the voice of the customer in order to remain relevant in our law enforcements efforts,” Marathe said.
