Police have expressed concern at the rising rape incidents that occur at entertainment areas.
When giving an overview of the festive season this week, Botswana Police Spokesperson- Assistant Commissioner Dipheko Motube said 155 rape cases have been recorded so far and that 70 of them occurred between the Christmas and New Year holidays.
He said they have noticed a general decrease in crime, road accidents and fatalities across the country when compared to the previous season of 2021/2022.
“440 accidents were recorded this year compared to 548 during the previous year which translated to a 19.7% decrease. The number of fatal road accidents decreased by 36.6% from 30 in the previous year to 19. Resultant fatalities also decreased from 45 in the 2021/2022 period to 22 in the 2022/2023 period, showing a reduction of 49%. The number of serious injuries also declined from 59 in the previous period to 56 in the current period showing a 5.1% decrease whilst minor injuries decreased from 90 to 46 showing reduction of 49%,” said Motube
He further said police recorded 17 999 road traffic offences compared to 15 433 in the previous period demonstrating an increase of 16.6%.
Motube also said in other crime offences, 27 murder cases were registered, noting that most of these cases occurred as a result of misunderstandings between victims and perpetrators who were mostly influenced by alcohol abuse.
The police spokesperson said they have recorded 70 cases of robbery which happened in various areas across the country.
He commended members of the public, especially motorists for their cooperation at roadblocks and other police operations.
