Botswana police deny xenophobic attacks (14-12-06)

ft-com:office:smarttags” />GABORONE – The Botswana Police Service has denied a report carried in The Zimbabwean of November 30, 2006) headlined “6 000 Zimbabweans beaten in Botswana”.

Supt Witness K. Bosija, the service’s deputy public relations officer, dismissed the article as an attempt “to tarnish the cordial relationship that exists between Botswana and Zimbabwe”.

He insisted that the police service placed a high value on human rights “as articulated in the United Nations Charter”, and denied that the Special Support Group (SSG) of the Botswana Police Service dealt with cases of violence and were semi-literate, as implied by the reporter.

“The SSG are duly attested members of the Service who satisfied the minimum entry qualifications at the time they joined. Currently, the minimum entry qualification is the Botswana General Certificate in Secondary Education (BGCSE) with a credit in English and a minimum of 30 points or an equivalent certificate,” said Bosija.

He said the force was committed to providing a professional law enforcement service and was “customer focussed, honest and by this we mean always acting within the realms of the law with integrity, compassion, transparency and without ill-will to anyone”.

Bosija denied that the border police had a ‘shoot first and ask questions later’ policy regarding Zimbabweans. “A number of Zimbabwean illegal immigrants continue to be arrested and deported from this country through the normal bilateral arrangement. We would like the reader to note that Botswana is internationally acclaimed constitutional democracy, with a good reputation for respect of individual human rights,” he said. – Staff reporter