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Introspection
 Appraisal
Time
Historically,
the Botswana Police Service dates back over 100 years to the
early days of Bechuanaland where traditionally law enforcement
was perceived to be the responsibility of the chiefs and headmen.
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The
Botswana Police Force evolved into a Police Force modeled
very much on colonial lines. Many of the senior officers,
who were all white in those days, came from a military
background. One of the chief roles of the police was
to perform military duties in defense of the country
because there was no defence force at independence until
1977 when the Botswana Defence Force was formed. Some
of the working of the Botswana Police practices and
procedures still reflect this military background.
The
strength of the Police Service at independence stood
at 766 officers. Today, it has risen significantly to
over 6424 giving a ratio of one police officer to 262
people.
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Botswana's
first President Sir Seretse Khama inspecting a Ceremonial
Parade mounted by the Botswana Police
Source: Botswana Police Service Corporate Development
Strategy |
In
the wake of public disquiet over charges of corruption and
mismanagement and in an effort to be more transparent and
accountable to the public the Botswana police did a Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats [SWOT] Analysis of itself
covering the years 1997-2003. And this is what they found:
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Strengths
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Weaknesses
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Opportunities
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Threats
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- Support
of scientific services
- Police
reforms
- Productivity
and teamwork
- Welfare
programmes
- Adequate
community outreach programmes
- Training
of personnel
- Rapid
response to reports
- Customer
satisfaction
- Transparency
- Community
policing
- Gender
equality
- HIV/AIDS
mainstreaming
- Employment
of skilled officers
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- Poor
training plans
- Poor
dissemination of information
- Lack
of role clarity
- Shortage
of manpower
- Autocracy
& bureaucracy
- Lack
of supervisory skills
- Inadequate
interviewing and investigative techniques
- Lack
of trust
- Poor
feedback to customers
- Inadequate
law books and security of law reports books
- Poor
incentives
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- Technological
advancement
- Government
support
- Enforceable
statutes
- Community
support
- Good
media relations
- Good
infrastructure
- Feedback
by customers
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- Economic
recession
- Crime
escalation
- HIV/AIDS
pandemic
- Unemployment
- Low
productivity
- Low
salaries
- White
collar crimes
- Corruption
- Cross
border crime
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Source:
Botswana Police Service Corporate Development Strategy 2003.
Following
the SWOT Analysis, the Botswana Police Service drew up a strategy
to meet the expectations of the people. Some of the key goals
include:
"
To provide a quality service to the people of Botswana which
provides for their needs and focuses on the reduction of crime
and making communities safer."
"To
increase public confidence in the Police by developing a community
style of policing which entails both consultation and partnership
with the community".
"To
create a conducive environment within the Botswana Police
to enable our officers to be competent, efficient and effective."
- Facilities
and Support Goal
"To
provide the necessary support and infrastructure to enable
the members of the Botswana Police Service, to provide the
service to the public."
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