The Minister for Defense, Justice and Security, Dikgakgamatso Seretse, has commended the Peermont’s Grand Palm Hotel, Casino and Convention Resort in Gaborone for offering support to the government of Botswana’s efforts to address challenges brought about by crime.
Speaking at the Grand Palm Porta Cabin Project introductory launch, Seretse said “the initiative comes as an answer to my call for community assistance to the police in the fight against crime by forming policing clusters to deal directly with crime in communities”.
The Grand Palm donated two Porta Cabins for use in Blocks 5 and 6. The Porta Cabins will help bring the services closer to the affected communities, enabling the police to react effectively to calls for police assistance. The cabins, which will be manned by both members of the community and police officers, shall act as Satellite Police Stations to provide convenience in service delivery.
Seretse said the concept of community policing by clusters encourages local communities to identify crime that needs attention and together, with the police, develop efficient strategies to deal with them.
“Without the community, the police are not successful,” he noted, adding that for the police, this is in line with the organization’s Vision 2016 of providing community style of policing that emphasizes community involvement as a central tenet of this philosophy.
Present at the occasion was the Commissioner of Police, Thebeyame Tsimako.
He applauded the good work that has been done by the Grand Palm Hotel, Block 5 and 6 communities and the Botswana Police Service, highlighting that the efforts are already bearing fruit as revealed by their records.
Tsimako said there has been a significant 7 percent reduction in the cases of violence and of intrusive nature.
Tsimako encouraged other communities and members of the private sector to get on board and get involved in similar endeavors and support the drive towards building safer communities and a secure Botswana where anybody can move freely. This would attract foreign investments and tourists around the country.
The celebration saw the inauguration of twelve new neighborhood watch clusters. The groups comprise of citizens who have volunteered to carry out this duty for a period of not more than six months. They will be working hand in glove with the police to try and curb crime in the community.
Seretse handed over two radios to the community chairpersons and two hand books for use by volunteers so that they can know what their duties entail.
In a bid to help in the fight against crime, Seretse encouraged members of the community that each family should invest in two-way radios to be able to communicate with the police where possible.
Members of Block Five and Six have appreciated the efforts by the Grand Palm and the Botswana Police for it has created a whole new atmosphere in their communities.
Block 6 Chairperson, Esther Okae Letlhare, said, “My community is now safe to live in; our children can now freely move without fear of being offended and residents taking their well deserved sleep without fear of house burglary”.
Members of the communities feel they have transcended from rhetoric to action.
