Statistics Botswana donates tablets to Police department

Botswana: Timely, accurate, relevant and disaggregated statistics are key to effective policy formulation, decision-making, and reporting on national and international frameworks such as National Development plans, Vision 2036 and the Sustainable development goals (SDGs).

This was said by Statistician General Dr Burton Mguni at the handing over of 120 electronic tablets to Botswana Police Service (BPS) Yesterday (16/03/2023) in Gaborone. Dr Mguni said Statistics Botswana (SB) has a responsibility to ensure that official statistics are available in the country when needed. He said SB partners with other producers and users of statistics to improve the nation’s data ecosystem.

Dr Mguni went on to say that the donation is in line with the Botswana Police Service 2019 -2023 Service Strategy Plan (SSP) for the Development of Statistics, which aims to provide mechanisms to reform and accelerate statistics production within the organisation.

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He noted that the donation of the gadgets is expected to support the police in conformity with the Digitisation priority area of the Reset Agenda. Dr Mguni stated that he is confident that the police will achieve its statistics strategic vision of being ‘A reliable provider of quality police statistics’.

When receiving the gadgets, the Botswana Police Service Deputy Commissioner of Operations, Solomon Mantswe, appreciated the technical support offered by SB in the form of a donation of electronic tablets. He said as part of the collaboration efforts SB assisted BPS in the licensing and procurement of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software used in crime data analysis and interpretation.

Furthermore, Mantswe stated that the organisation had developed a system called Automated Traffic Law Enforcement System (ATLES). The Deputy Commissioner indicated that the system is a roadside motor vehicle and licence search platform that assists traffic law enforcement officers in detecting fraudulent licenses and registration numbers, flagged and unlicensed vehicles. It will also be used for ticketing motorists who violate the Road Traffic Act and Regulations, among others.

The Deputy Commissioner assured Statistics Botswana that the tablets will be fully utilised across the country in capturing and managing accident data. Mr Mantswe further said the gadgets will also contribute towards the use of technology, which will ultimately produce high-quality statistics for use in national development frameworks.