It is good for a country to have someone responsible for intelligence gathering to ensure nationBatshu told a farewell press conference in Gaborone last Friday. He said at the moment the commissioner of police "is the overseer of intelligence gathering, which makes his job very difficult".al security, he stressed. "In fact, I am disappointed that to date we still do not have the organisation in place. There is too much work for the police commissioner now," he said. The commissioner stated that economic growth in Botswana has earned her enemies, who needed to be detected before they could cause irreparable harm to the country.
Batshu said it was only Botswana and Swaziland in the SADC region that did not have intelligence services. However, he declined to comment on the Intelligence Services and Security Bill, which has divided Parliament and cabinet and the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
Batshu has announced that he will retire at the end of June and that he joined Botswana Police Service in 1970 at the age of 23. He rose through the ranks due to hard work and dedication. He said that he has gone through hard times in the police service and he has no plans to venture into politics upon retirement. "I have long neglected my family, my people at Maitengwe, and my church. I am now going to serve myself," he said. Batshu said that when he took over in 2004 he set priorities, among them to fight crime to his best ability and restore public confidence by increasing police visibility on the streets; improve officers' working conditions; and make the police service a family that will work together in the war on crime. "I leave very satisfied that what I sought to achieve I tried my best and my best has not embarrassed the country," he said.
However, Batshu noted that there are many challenges that the Police are facing these days, among them, increased crime, slow progress in courts, illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe who are involved in criminal activities; and congestion in prisons.
He admitted that despite the innovations police have implemented, crime continues to rise. He added that there is still a need to increase the number of police officers.
He stated that the police assist in driving illegal immigrants out of the streets but it is a big task and that the issue is complicated and beyond the police. The public is also partly to blame, he said, for the proliferation of illegal immigrants in Botswana because they (public) hire them to work at the lands and cattle posts. "They are all over and very dangerous," he warned.
Batshu said his unfinished programmes included the establishment of an Air Wing that he hoped would be operational by next year. He further said that he had drawn up a plan for his successor. The police commissioner urged Batswana to assist in the fight against crime by protecting their lives and property. He advised that people should leave their houses in the care of somebody when they know they won't be back within a short time. "It is very difficult to detect who could have broken into a house, a week or a month ago, but we are dedicated to fighting crime," he said.
