Botswana: Serowe District Commissioner Angelinah Leano has said community relationship with the police is a corner stone in the fight against crime.
Leano said this when officiating at the 2023 District Cluster Awards ceremony for Police District No 2 in Serowe yesterday (21/09/23). She said cluster policing initiative challenges communities to proactively develop solutions to the underlying crime problems in their localities.
District Commissioner Leano also said that crime is a communal issue that affects everyone directly and indirectly, hence the need for all stakeholders involved with perpetrators and victims in the formulation of crime prevention strategies.
She said that working together in this regard will reduce the scattered individual efforts of each stakeholder and provide proactive solutions to not only crime but also other social problems affecting societies.
She further called for the involvement of all sectors that interact with offenders and victims, such as social workers, prosecution, and defence attorneys, to be involved in the implementation of prevention programmes.
She added that the programmes will ensure that communication is effective and referrals of individual cases to appropriate service providers run smoothly and in the best interest of concerned individuals.
The District Commissioner said actions like being careful about locking doors and windows, not sharing personal information with strangers or being cautious while walking alone at night can significantly reduce the chances of becoming victims.
She also said well-planned community policing strategies contribute to sustainable development and prevention in achieving the reduction of crime, violence and injustice.
For his part, the Officer Commanding NO.2 District, Senior Superintendent Paul Oketsang, said crime in the area is a concern, especially home Invasions, robberies, false pretences and personation. He said in some of the cases, criminals target pensioners and rob them of their hard-earned money. Oketsang also highlighted that despite these challenges, the police are working around the clock to arrest these criminals.
No.2 Policing District, which consists of Serowe, Palapye, Maunatlala, and Serule Police Stations, was awarded a total of 279 awards, 102 for Best Practice and 177 for Community Commitment.