The Botswana Police Service (BPS) says there is nothing that they can do about their officers who have been on interdiction for the past eight years.
The Public Relations Director at the BPS, Assistant Commissioner Christopher Mbulawa, confirmed to The Sunday Standard that there are two police officers who have been on interdiction for about eight years now.
The two officers, he said, a superintendent stationed at Urban Police Station and a Sub Inspector based at Headquarters, are still receiving half salaries while at home.
Mbulawa added that the two male officers were involved in criminal activities and their cases are still pending before court.
“As the police, there is nothing that we can do if the case is before court.” he said, adding that there are a number of factors that make an interdiction take so long.
“In some instances, the concerned officer can be ill or the magistrate might have resigned from work and this sometimes contributes in delaying the matter.”
He further said that both sides, the government and the interdicted officers, are losing.
The president of the Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU), Andrew Motsamai, said, “Generally, interdiction is of concern to us.”
He said that in the new Public Service Act, a person who is interdicted will be getting a full salary, as compared to the old Act.
Motsamai said the new Act will speed up the investigation of the interdicted officers and the matter can be resolved in a reasonable time.
He said that, as BOPEU, they would like BPS, Prisons and BDF to unionize and join them, adding that they advocate for changes in law and for the security forces to unionize.
This follows after the Botswana Police interdicted about 54 officers for various reasons, with a majority of them allegedly involved in criminal activities.
Among the interdicted is a senior Police Commissioner who was recently interdicted from work on allegations of rape.