Botswana: The British Government has donated specialist recording equipment worth over P1 Million to Botswana Police Service (BPS).
Speaking at the handover ceremony yesterday (10.05.2023) at Police Headquarters, Her Excellency Ms Sian Price, the British High Commissioner and Special Representative to SADC, said the British Government will continue to support BPS with equipment and training to enable them to achieve their mandate.
Sian Price also said the BPS had become the centre of excellence in the SADC region when it comes to Child Policing. The British High Commissioner further stated that they have in the past worked with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to develop Standard Operating Procedures for those dealing with issues relating to vulnerable victims, delivered training workshops to BPS on interviewing victims and also provided guidance on how to acquire best evidence through the British National Crime Agency (NCA).
The equipment, which includes sets of video-audio recording equipment, will be installed in all BPS Child Friendly Centres across the country.
On receiving the equipment, the Acting Commissioner of Police, Solomon Mantswe, thanked the British Government for the generous gesture saying it will have a transformative impact on the organisation’s ability to fulfil its objectives.
He said Botswana and the United Kingdom have a strong history of bilateral ties across different sectors, including public security. The Acting Commissioner added that the current collaboration dubbed “Building the foundations for a child friendly police service in Botswana” is a classic example.
Mr Mantswe said the donation is not only a cutting edge technological advancement for the BPS but also a catalyst for innovation and growth. He said it will go a long way in empowering the Police to capture and analyse interviews with greater clarity and impact.
The Acting Commissioner further acknowledged UNICEF for their valued contributions to the cause of fighting for children’s rights. He said through UNICEF, BPS was able to launch six Child Friendly Centres across the country and has two more coming in Palapye and Maun, respectively.
