07 May 2024

The Botswana Police Service has been urged to consider building a second police station in Maun to better serve the growing population and increase accessibility to police services within the community.
This was said by Member of Parliament for Maun East, Mr Goretetse Kekgonegile at  a handing over ceremony of a shelter toa needy person by officers from District No.5.

The MP highlighted the necessity for an additional police station. He emphasised that Maun had seen a significant population increase, as indicated by the latest census report, requiring more resources to handle the workload efficiently.
Mr Kekgonegile pointed out that the current Maun Police Station was strained, serving not only the town itself but also the surrounding villages.

Additionally, he acknowledged that existing police stations, including the one at Boseja, were facing resource shortages.
The MP emphasised the need for expanded services to keep pace with the community’s growth, citing concerns about high levels of criminal activities like stock theft and drug abuse.

He noted a worrying trend of farmers abandoning their lands due to theft of their livestock, signaling the urgency to tackle such criminal behavior.
Mr Kekgonegile recognised that a police station alone could not eradicate crime but underscored the importance of providing closer access to services to help deter criminal activities.

He specifically highlighted drug abuse as a major issue in the village, especially among young people, and believed that an additional police facility could play a vital role in combating illicit drugs and ensuring the safety of all residents.
Kgosi Leretetse Mogalakwe also expressed concern about the availability of drugs to the youth and the society saying it had proven to be a cancer to society.

The youth of today, he said, were very inquisitive and curious as they would like to test the efficacy of whatever they see and hear of, adding that the curiosity becomes fatal with time even to the point of death.
He added that some by their curiosity go into dealing with drugs and become addicts.

Drug consumption, he said, had become a social problem because it had afflicted the family, the economy and the community and wished all could stand up against its use and protect the future generation.
Kgosi Mogalakwe appealed to the newly appointed Commissioner of Police, Ms Dinah Marathe and her team to look into the matter and come up with strategies to battle the high levels of crime, saying the communities were living in fear.
“Re na le tshepo e ntsi mo go wena mma ka e bile Setswana se re mmangwana o tshwara thipa ka fa bogaleng. Re dumela go re o tla dira diphetogo go sireletsa tshaba eno mo boraing jwa tiriso ditagi,” he added.

For her part, the Commissioner of Police, Ms Marathe revealed that the consumption of illicit drugs worldwide, Botswana included, had reached alarming levels, and stated that they were doing their best to resource police facilities to serve the community effectively.

She acknowledged that young people, including school going children, were turning to drugs and substance abuse, which she said had affected them mentally hence they end up engaging in other social ills such as rape and assaults among others.
The situation, she said, called for all stakeholders to play their part in the fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking, noting that the police alone could not win the battle.

“We need to spread the information and understanding that drugs are a problem, illegal and can cause health and mental problems. Our efforts must focus especially on young people. Our efforts also require working to stop the supply chain,” she noted.

Ms Marathe also revealed that following a recent ruling out that possession of Methcathinone commonly known as ‘CAT’ was not a criminal offence because the drug was not listed as an illicit substance, efforts have been made to engage all the relevant authorities to look into the matter and the good part was that the statutory instrument now shows that the drug is an offence.

As such, she warned that all those who are in possession of the drug would be taken to book, and she appealed to the community to join forces with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to fight and prevent usage of drugs in the country. ends