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COUNTRY EXPERIENCES BOTSWANA POLICE SERVICE (BPS) PERSPECTIVE

AFRICAN REGION CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP ON ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS: PREVENTION, RESPONSE AND PEACE KEEPING. COUNTRY EXPERIENCES BOTSWANA POLICE SERVICE (BPS) PERSPECTIVE. MATTHEWS MOLATLHEGI LETSHOLO (SACP), DIRECTOR OPERATIONS

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COUNTRY EXPERIENCES BOTSWANA POLICE SERVICE (BPS) PERSPECTIVE

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  1. AFRICAN REGION CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP ON ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS: PREVENTION, RESPONSE AND PEACE KEEPING COUNTRY EXPERIENCES BOTSWANA POLICE SERVICE (BPS) PERSPECTIVE

  2. MATTHEWS MOLATLHEGI LETSHOLO (SACP), DIRECTOR OPERATIONS CCJS (LEICESTER, UK), ICP-BRAMSHILL UK, SLP-BOTSWANA, BPLSGCM, BPJSM. AND THATATSOTLHE NWOKORO (SSP), PRINCIPAL PROGRAMME OFFICER, OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY, CHAPLAINCY AND SOCIAL WELFARE HEADQUARTERS BSW-UB, BPLSGCM, BPJSM.

  3. PRESENTATION OUTLINE • Mandate, Mission, Vision and Core Values. • Nature and Extent of the GBV and Sources • Existing and current interventions • Best Practice • Existing gaps and challenges • Women participation in Peace Keeping Missions • Measures in place to increase women participation in PKMs • Way Forward

  4. Mandate of the BPS: • The Botswana Police Act Cap 21:01 outlines the duties, functions and administration of the organization. • Key amongst them is the protection of life and property and the prevention and detection of crime. • Basically this gives an assumption that human life which is precious and indispensable.

  5. DUTIES, FUNCTIONS • Prevent and detect crime; • Protect life and property; • Repress internal disturbances; • Maintain security and public tranquility; • Apprehend offenders and bring them to justice; • Duly enforce all written laws with which we are directly charged; and • Generally maintain peace.

  6. The Mission • To provide a professional policing service in partnership with the community. • A pledge for service characterized by a high level of skill, competence, speed and attention to any emerging policing challenges. • Recognising that the community is pivotal to our success in policing them including women and the girl child.

  7. The Vision • To be a law enforcement agency of repute. This connotes – • An organization that associates itself with good performance. • Upliftment of standards and ethical behavior. • A dignified service worthy of honour, treating customers with dignity.

  8. CORE VALUES: • BOTHO: delivering a service characterized by humility, dignity, courtesy, empathy, kindness and respect for customers regardless of status. • EXCELLENCE: • Diligence and persistence • Displaying knowledge; and • Producing an acceptable level of accuracy on all services provided.

  9. CONT. • INTEGRITY: • in providing services • desist from a normative inclination to abuse the rights and privileges of their occupation. • Displaying ethical behavior that appreciates confidentiality and respect for human rights. • TEAM WORK: • Recognizing the need to work as a team characterized by consultation, collective responsibility and support for each other.

  10. NATURE AND EXTENT OF GBV From a policing perspective the most common forms of GBV are: • Physical assaults; • Murder – often referred to as PASSIONKILLINGS; • Rape; • Defilement; and • Threats to kill. • The highest number of GBV related incidents are handled by the police; • Medical facilities receive incidents requiring treatment – medical, emotional (psychiatry); • NGOs also record some during working hours, sometimes referred thereto by the police.

  11. CONT. • GBV, particularly against women are major issues of debate among human rights activists, professionals and women advocacy groups. • This includes physical, emotional, psychological, sexual abuse and generally, sexual harassment at work places. • In the past little empirical knowledge existed about violence against women – • Mostly because of failure to report/disclose; • Little prominence. • Greater understanding of GBV and domestic violence – pressure for change.

  12. INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL COMMITMENTS RATIFIED Government has initiated the following policy and programme responses to GBV: • Signing the Vienna Declaration, Beijing Conference Platform for Action, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). • Developing a National Gender Programme Framework, Short Term Plan of Action, and a National Policy on Gender and Development (which include sections on GBV), and setting the goal of eliminating GBV by the year 2016 (Vision 2016).

  13. CONT. • Conducting a National Study on the Socio-Economic Implications of Violence against Women (1999) and developing an action plan to address GBV (2001). • Commissioning a study on laws affecting the status of women in Botswana (1998) • Supporting the development of two major bills on GBV – Abolition of Marital Power Bill (2004) and Domestic Violence Bill (2007), including efforts to raise the awareness of MPs and Chiefs in relation to this policy development.

  14. CONT. • The Botswana Protocol on the Implementation of the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development – The Addendum on the Prevention and Eradication of Violence Against Women and Children (2000). • Initiating a five year project to accelerate the implementation of activities and strategies that address VAW (violence against women) and support the reduction of HIV and AIDS” (2007).

  15. POLICE ACTION GUIDING PRINCIPLES • Guided by the following strategic perspectives - • Institutionalizing training for all police officers; • Establishing specific units or focal points (‘gender desks’) within offices/stations, with especially trained staff as a short-term strategy; • Ensuring an all-female or mixed-sex groups of officers. • Developing one-stop multi-service units staffed with police to assist survivors reporting an incident of violence to access immediate related health, shelter and legal support services. • Strengthening partnerships between the police and NGOs serving survivors.

  16. CONT. • Supporting community policing forums where local networks of men and women can serve as a voluntary alarm system and support survivors to report on violence and seek appropriate care. • Promoting increases in the number of female staff (at all levels) who are trained to address violence against women and girls.

  17. CONT • Acquiring commitment of leadership or top management personnel as an investment to ensure effective police responses. • Community outreach is important to raise awareness of police responses, improve trust with police and support zero tolerance of violence against women.

  18. BEST PRACTICES LOCALLY • Police – mostly the first point of contact. • 1997 Petition to the Commissioner of Police – Women Advocacy Groups – a positive influence. • Female to female interviews; • Separate/private consultation and interview rooms; • 2007 UNIFEM Study of police practices/attitudes on GBV; • Disparities identified. • The 1998 Penal Code amendment, putting in place – • Increased penalties for sexual offences • Permission to abort in case of rape pregnancy • Exposure to prophylaxis – post sexual violation.

  19. CONT. • Significant strides in mainstreaming gender issues into the core business; • Establishment of a Gender Reference Group and Focal Points at operational levels; • Linking with stakeholders. • Identifying training and developmental needs. • Facilitating indoor and external training. • Disseminating GBV information, education and communication (IEC) materials. • Facilitating referrals. • Monitoring and reporting GBV developments / patterns.

  20. CONT. • Development of a data collection tool for GBV incidents. • The Occupational Health and Safety, Chaplaincy and Social Welfare Unit (OHSCSW) provides trauma debriefing – • Officers exposed to horrendous acts of violence. • The Unit is a link between the BPS and the Religious fraternity country wide. • It is responsible for – • Burial services of Police Officers; • Providing counselling to the bereaved families; • Providing counselling to victims of crime including GBV cases.

  21. CONT. • BPS Women’s Network Forum • At Corporate and operational Levels • Promotes women empowerment • Understanding women issues as law enforcement officials – peace support operations issues. • Accentuate police involvement in issue of GBV and 16 Days of Activism Against Violence on Women and Children. • Advocating for the increase of Women Police Officers. • SADC Standby Force has a component of Women Police Officers. • Among 7 Pilots in the BPS ASB two are Women. • There are also a total of 11 Women in the newly established SWAT component of the BPS Para Military Wing.

  22. CONT. • Community Policing Strategy - A Strategic Policy to – • Improve partnerships and community participation. • A public and pro-active forum for campaigns and information sharing. • Improvement of the Informer System; • Instrumental in the high levels of reporting and detection of GBV related issues. • Tying together existing and envisaged structures– i.e. • Crime Prevention Committees • Neighbourhood (Suburb, Farm, Business) Watch Schemes • Clusters – collective community groups

  23. CONT. • Gender, Women and Children Advocacy Groups • Other stakeholders – schools, health facilities, NGOs and other State Institutions. • Use of Special Constables and Police Volunteers • Community based. • Bridge the gap between the Police and the Community. • Driving community involvement crime prevention programmes – including GBV. • Some other National Plans having gender perspectives • National Master Plan on Arable Agriculture Development (NAMPAAD). • Livestock Management and Development Programme (LIMID).

  24. CONT. • Significant media involvement / usage – • Audio programmes – Crime File, Police Today. • Audio Visual programmes – Itshireletse (Protect Yourself). • Print programmes – Weekly Situation Reports, Police Magazine. • Men Sector biennial roving Chairmanship at Corporate and Operational levels • Facilitates GBVIEC dissemination; • Links male generated violence – rape/defilement with HIV/AIDS and other SRH issues; • Advocates for male behaviour change – “KGAOLA CHAENE.”

  25. CONT. • Police training on issues of GBV; • July to September, 2010 – four workshops (131 officers) specific training programme co-sponsored by UNIFEM and the BPS. • Leadership driven. • Pilot Training on Justice for Children – • Focusing on understanding perpetrators and victims behaviours • CUBAC – advocating for the eradication of instances of Children used by adults in the commission of crimes • Child labour issues • Incarceration of Children – in the wake of the Public Sector strike.

  26. EXISTING GAPS AND CHALLENGES • BPS capacity to address the emotional and psychological aspect; • Training equips officers with investigative techniques • Limitation in care and support skills. • Bare minimum counseling skills required. • Police behaviour (insensitivity/disinterest) - • A negative influence to future reporting patterns and behavior. • No specialized Unit within Police structures;

  27. CONT. • No standardized protocol that seeks to integrate services offered by Police, Health and Social Services. • No automatic detail of the victims’ level of trauma transference for social support. • Only done for evidential purposes. • Response often likely to influence the victim’s participation in the investigation process and/or future reporting. • Process under development.

  28. CONT. • Victim After Care support is not available. • Prolonged investigations and case disposal processes. • Psycho-social support not considered as core business of operational police duties. • Inadequate Social Support Services – Institutions not operating 24/7. • Incidents of defilement – predominantly among female children – often detected in the late stages of pregnancy. • Inadequate funding for Gender based initiatives.

  29. THE WAY FORWARD: • Multi and Inter-Sectoral collaboration • The Criminal Justice System component. • Social and Psychological Service component. • Community and Advocacy Groups component. • Establishment of a GBV Referral System. • WAD Botswana, stakeholders and UNIFEM currently in the processes of establishing the system. • Improved training for Law Enforcement Agencies on GBV. • Taking cognizance of differences in culture, needs and handling (Including diversities in abilities).

  30. Thank You

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