Police reform committee established

A committee established to help in the reform and restructuring of the Lesotho Mounted Police Service is expected to hand over its recommendations to the Minister responsible for the Police at the end of its two months' brief in March.

Home Affairs and Public Safety Minister, Mr. Motsoahae Thomas Thabane told a meeting of senior police officers at the Police Training College in Maseru on January 15 that thate committee is expected to make recommendations that will change the police force into an effective and efficient service.

The committee will be chaired by the Principal Secretary for Home Affairs and include the Attorney General, Commissioner of Police, the Commander of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF), the Director of the National Security Service (NSS), the Principal Secretary for the Public Service, police experts from  Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa and, specialists in particular fields in policing flown in when needed.

"We need terms and definitions of what a good policeman should be like and this committee will draw up such terms, with your contributions," he said.

Mr. Thabane said the envisaged reform is going to have both positive and negative effects, able to root out bad elements within the police, leaving people who are prepared to work and excel.

"We cannot root out bad elements within the public, if we, ourselves are unable to root such elements within us, those elements must go home," the Minister said.

People must be able to trust the police, adding that Basotho cannot live in a situation where a police officer wearing a police uniform threatens them. Police stations and posts will be upgraded to improve conditions whilst the Ministry is also considering increasing mobility to improve police movement, the Minister said.

Passing a vote of thanks, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr.Ts'okolo Koro said the reform was well overdue, and expressed gratitude that finally the department of police will be able to make positive changes within its structures. The police should take the reform as a way of improvement and make contributions to enable quick and smooth restructuring, he said.

15 January 2004