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The Botswana Police Service is the
police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...
service of
Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kal ...
.


History


Colonial era

The service has its origins in the ''Bechuanaland Mounted Police'', which was formed on 1 July 1884. The ''Bechuanaland Border Police'' were formed on 4 Aug 1885. In October 1889 a royal charter established the
British South Africa Company The British South Africa Company (BSAC or BSACo) was chartered in 1889 following the amalgamation of Cecil Rhodes' Central Search Association and the London-based Exploring Company Ltd, which had originally competed to capitalize on the expect ...
's Police, which absorbed part of the BBP. During the 1890s the various police forces in the area went through a number of name changes until BSAP No.1 (Bechuanaland) Division ceased to exist, becoming the Bechuanaland Protectorate Police. This force recruited few Bechuanaland natives, instead it mostly recruited black constables in
Basutoland Basutoland was a British Crown colony that existed from 1884 to 1966 in present-day Lesotho. Though the Basotho (then known as Basuto) and their territory had been under British control starting in 1868 (and ruled by Cape Colony from 1871), t ...
(modern
Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked as an enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the highest mountains in Southern Africa. It has an area of over and has a population ...
),
Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of So ...
(modern
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
) and
Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...
.


Post-Independence

In 1965 following the independence of Botswana the ''Botswana Police Force'', was formed and in 1971 the first female police constables were recruited. In 1977 in a reversal of earlier policy and in response to growing threats to Botswana's security, the
Botswana Defence Force The Botswana Defence Force (BDF, tn, Sesole Sa Botswana) is the military of Botswana. The main component of the BDF is the Botswana Ground Force; there is also an air wing and a riverine patrol contingent attached to the ground forces, with 10 ...
was formed. In 2009 the Botswana police force subsumed the Botswana local police to create the ''Botswana Police Service''. The modern Botswana police service is an armed police service of 8500 officers, including 2000 female officers . Botswana Police Service runs a police college near Otse village.


Gallery

File:Bechuanaland Protectorate Police 1.jpg File:Bechuanaland Protectorate Police 4.jpg File:Bechuanaland Protectorate Police 6.jpg File:Bechuanaland Protectorate Police 5.jpg


Structure


Divisions

The force is divided into 5 divisions: * Northern * North Central * Northwest * Southern * South Central


Ranks

* Commissioner of Police, * Deputy Commissioner of Police, * Senior Assistant Commissioner, * Assistant Commissioner, * Senior Superintendent, * Superintendent, * Assistant Superintendent, * Inspector, * Sub-Inspector, * Sergeant, * Constable, * Special Constable


Branches and Divisions

The BPS is divided into various branches and the most notable are: * Special Support Group (SSG) * Air Support Branch (ASB) * Transport and Telecommunications Branch (TTB) * Anti-Stock Theft Unit * Training Branch * Criminal Investigation Department (CID) The SSG is the paramilitary branch of the BPS and it is run along military lines. Police officers in this branch are called operatives and they undergo 3 months military training upon completion of the mandatory 12 months Police training. The branch is divided into various units/companies: * SWAT Unit * Anti Poaching Unit (APU) * Band Wing Unit (BND) * Training Wing Unit (TRG) * Specialized Unit (SPU) * Command and Logistics Unit


See also

*
Botswana Police College The Botswana Police College is located in Otse in the South East District. An ultra-modern new college campus for meeting the training needs of the Botswana Police Service was designed by FMA Architects Ltd (Canadian Architect - Samuel Oboh - ...
*
Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kal ...


References


External links


Official websiteHistory of the Botswana Police Service - Government of Botswana website
{{Authority control Law enforcement in Botswana Government agencies of Botswana