Weed out corrupt police officers
By Editorial
ELSEWHERE in this issue we carry a story about the dismissal of 16 police officers for allegedly engaging in corrupt activities.
The dismissal sends the clearest indication that the government is finally determined to weed out corrupt officers who have for so long tarnished the image of the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS).
The dismissals were long overdue.
We believe the time has come for the coalition government headed by Prime Minister Thomas Thabane to match rhetoric about fighting corruption with real action on the ground.
Fighting crime was a major campaign subject for the three parties that make up the coalition government.
The three parties must live up to their election promises and deal decisively with this cancer.
While the level of crime in Lesotho is nowhere near that of Johannesburg, we believe Basotho have a right to live in peace unmolested.
This government must therefore send a clear message to rogue officers within the LMPS that their time is up and that it can no longer be business as usual.
While there are indeed lots of dedicated, intelligent and hard-working officers within the LMPS, the reality is that there is a small, corrupt clique whose activities have been gnawing at the heart of the police.
These should have no place in the LMPS.
While this weeding exercise is still ongoing we believe the LMPS must also work harder to repair its damaged brand.
It is arguable whether our police are the most corrupt in southern Africa.
We would like to be persuaded to believe they are not.
But the ordinary Mosotho’s perception of the police is generally negative mostly because of a belief that the LMPS is also home to lots of rogue officers.
If the police are to restore trust with the nation at large they must do more to kick out the corrupt officers amongst them.
The battle against crime can only be won when the police work hand-in-hand with the community.
But for that to happen there must be a degree of trust between police and the community.
One compelling argument that has been proffered as an excuse for the corruption within the police is the matter of poor salaries.
There is a concern that the government has consistently neglected our police in terms of improving their salaries and perks.
We believe there is nothing as dangerous as a disgruntled police officer.
Such an officer is highly susceptible to bribery.
It is in our interest that our police officers do not starve.
The police must also be better equipped and trained to carry out their professional work.
They must be sent on exchange programmes to help them sharpen their investigative skills.
But most importantly the police must undergo an ideological shift over their policing methods.
The police must not be encouraged to perpetrate human rights violations in the name of fighting crime.
They must work within the confines of the law.
This newspaper has not shied away from highlighting the numerous cases of torture perpetrated by rogue police officers.
We believe any interrogation tactics that involve the use of torture to extract confessions from suspects are antiquated.
It was precisely for that reason that the government has had to pay large sums of money to victims as compensation for torture.
This is money that could be better spent improving the welfare of our police officers.
Comment by Dr Qhau on 20 December 2012:
Ntate Masupha, beha NEXUS, Naidoo le Khethisa leihlo! Case ea staff sa Ocean Basket se pataloang ke NGO ela eo Khethisa a e entseng domestic company e feletse kae?
Comment by Oa likoetseng on 20 December 2012:
Maponesa a ke ke a tlohella liketso tsa bobolu hobane aa hamela Letanteng.
Letanta ke Makhotla a Lesotho mona. Kabo ea Toka ke Ketane, ‘me ha ho molemo oa ho hlaola bobolu Mapoleseng feela Makhotla ona a tloheletsoe.
Comment by Pelepe on 20 December 2012:
Hona le lepotoana le leholo le embassying China leo ho thoeng ke’Masetlokoane, nxa!
Comment by Lefefooane on 20 December 2012:
You see the problem I have with our police force is that it continues to attract the high school dropouts. Those who never manage to make it beyond COSC end up joining the police force. In most cases they would have got a third class pass at COSC or GCE. You surely cannot have a police force that by and large attracts those with lesser brains and yet expect them to “suddenly” marvel on their job. Even the training manual they use was designed way back in 1968 and until today you get to PTC it is the same manual. That manual focused mainly on physical fitness because the criminals then were resorting to physic as their weapon hence a need for physically fit police force. Of late the crime pattern has shifted to white collar. As such we need the “smarter” police to the “super fit” police. That is why they loose most of the cases that involve fraud. Funny about the LMPS is that every police also is a detective. This is pathetic. The modern policing has shifted from this. We have the arresting officer and the detectives. In Lesotho the guy who arrests you is the one who will “investigate”. Lesotho is the only country where police busy themselves with “locking up” traffic offenders if such offenders do not have some R20.
Comment by Koto on 20 December 2012:
Corruption in this country is a cancer which will take a very long time time to cure. I dont understand why people alway keep blaming the police, labling them as corrupt as if they are the only corrupt people in this country. The point Iam trying to drive home here is that, as the nation we must accept that we have a problem and start suggesting ways in which we can overcome this problem. In as far as Iam concern, everyone is corrupt, so stop acting as if you are not and start doing something to correct it. Advise the police authority on ways/strategies they can explore in order to cure this cancer.
Comment by thabos on 20 December 2012:
Chee,oa tla oa buoa hlee
Comment by Motjoli on 20 December 2012:
Likatana tsa mapolesa.u ko ba bone ba lutse strateng ba ja makoenya,haba qeta ba bapala morabaraba.
Comment by pit on 21 December 2012:
Mapolesa kea a bona ka bobolu, but the bullies at the border gate take the country down and must be dealt with, they are a law onto themselves. They kill tourism trade and simple freedom of movement. They see foreign passports as cash cows and literary detain innocent tourists and business people and demand huge sums of money to ‘release’ them. They will come up with a silly excuse like ur left indicator light flashes wrongly and will hold your passport until u give then M500 . They will normally come up with a story that the courts will be open on Monday and they will have to detain you until Monday if your lucky or later on in the week. They are killing the countries tourism and business potential.Molimo Ntate can something be done about these thugs.
Comment by mokakapane on 21 December 2012:
LEFEFOOANE OA POTA KAJENO. LESHOLU LE BOBOLU HA BO ETSAHALE HOBANE MOTHO A SA EA UNUVERSITY EA JOALENG JOALOKA ROMA NUL. KAPA UNIVESRSUTY EFE LE EFE. BO ETSOA KE BATHO BA KANG UENA LE SCRUTATER BA HOPOLANG HORE BA HLOOHO LI KHOLO. TABA EA HORE NA U TSO’ERE LENGOLO LA UNIVERSITY HA E BOLELE HORE U KA SE BE LESHOULU LA POPOTA. ETSOE BANA BAO U RENG BA NA LE HLOOHO TSE KHLO KE LIBOLU TSE KSA HO QETELA KA HA HOA BONA KE HO JA MOO BA BANG BA SEBELITSENG LE HORE NA O FUMANA LIBEFITS TSE KSE KAE ELENG MEHARO EA BATHO BA JUNIVERSITY
Comment by mokapu on 21 December 2012:
likatana ke bao bo-’MABONA entseng ka moroto oa joala eseng mapolesa
Comment by Khoto Nkhorohele on 22 December 2012:
The whole gvmnt e bolile, those police ve badluck
Comment by Sanko on 27 December 2012:
Disaster of an online weekly newspaper. When are the “weekly” updates performed?
Comment by Sera sa motho ke tlala on 27 December 2012:
@Pelepe,I assure you, bitterness will kill you. Is your so-called Lepotoana not a Lesotho citizen? Whats wrong with him/her representing his/her country abroad? Jealousy will really put into early grave. He/she will be called back home only when necessary, but they can’t be driven by your jealousy.
Comment by Sera sa motho ke tlala on 27 December 2012:
Ke sure hore motjoli ke sekatana se mpa li tenya tse kang tsa mokhachane ea nine months,sekatana se fetang mapolesa ana ao a ntseng a a rohaka. Makoenya lea ja kaofela Basotho, ke ka hona le leng ‘mele e mebe hakana e metenyahali hoo le banna limpa li leng tenya bo nyonyehang.
U bona mapolesa a etsa mohlolo ofe haba ja makoenya fela Basotho le nyofa makoenya le russian ka lichips hakale? Che oa seka ba oela le khale. U sebetsa bankeng efe ha u tella Basotho ba bang tjee kaha basebetsi ba libankeng le ipona eka le melingoana ea Lesotho moo? Le ipona eka le khola likete tse baloang ka mashome-shome ka khoeli joale le tlameha ho tella Basotho ba bang ha le iphoqa.
Comment by Sera sa motho ke tlala on 27 December 2012:
@Lefefooane, u monna ea utloahalang a holisitsoe hampe lapeng labo. U tella Basotho ba bang hona hoo u sa itsebeng.
“You surely cannot have a police force that by and large attracts those with lesser brains and yet expect them to “suddenly” marvel on their job.” U bolelang ka polelo ee ea hau e tellang batho ba bang hakale? Nako tsohle u ipolelisa kamoo u rutehileng, u tella basotho ba bang u bolelisaka kamoo ba sa rutehang, ‘me ba leng likelello li nyane kateng kaha ba sa ruteha. U monna ea tloaetseng ho rohaka batho ka sekhooa se bolileng sena seo u se ngolang mona ka borutehi bona ba hau ba NUL e bolileng joaloka uena.
Haele moo u utloahala u le tsebanyane e tsebo e nyane tjee, u ee u ee sepoleseng moo hoea batla lifaele tsa mapolesa a Lesotho kaofela ho bona hore haba na COSC eo ea hau e maketseng? Kea ipotsa hore na ha ngoana hau a ka fumana GCE kapa 3rd class u tla etsa joang hobane ke kholoa hore u ahlama too much tjena hobane bana ba hau ba ntse ba le banyane ‘me u bona eka haba na ho hola? Ba buang haholo joaloka uena tjena, MORENA MOLIMO O ba otla hampe fela ka bana ba bona. Le phoqehile magraduate a NUL a rutiloeng ho tella Basotho ka degreenyana tseno tsa lona tsa bobolu tseo boholo li fumanoeng ka mekotano pakeng lilecturer le mastudents a kolo se bolileng seno.
Ebe Lefefooane u utloa eka hoba akhente u molingoana oa Lesotho moo? U ikutloa eka u molingoana oa Lesotho moo ka profession eo ea bomalimabe eo le buellang masholu a utsoetsang sechaba, eo le buellang likoeta tse bolaeang batho, eo le buellang banna ba betang masea le maqhekoana? Profession ea bomalimabe? Ke eona eo u etsang hore u nne u hlapaole Basotho ba bang u ba khelle fats’e kaha u ipona eka u phahame ha u ithetsa?
U holisitsoe hampe heno ka hore u telle batho ba bang ha u nahana hore u atlehile nthong e ‘ngoe lefats’eng mona. U tletse boikhohomoso habohloko ‘me ka tsatsi le leng MOLIMO O tla o lihela fats’e habohloko. Nako eohle u re hloliea ka ho pasa Form5 KA 1ST CLASS, ekare u e paselitse rona. Ha re kope letho ho uena letahoa tooe la NUL ebile re keke ra kopa letho ho uena, u paselitse uena ka 1st class eseng rona.
Comment by Sera sa motho ke tlala on 27 December 2012:
@Lefefooane, ke barutehi ba bakae ba ka teronkong ka bosholu ba bomenemene Lesotho moo? Ke tsane liakhente tsa heno li ts’oeroe ka ho etsa li-site lease tsa bomenemene moo ba sebetsang le masholu. Kapa ba etsoa ke bona borutehi boo le hore hase li-dropouts? Hona ke hobaneng barutehi ba le corrupt hakale mesebetsing Lesotho moo empa ele manyeloi a pasitseng ka 1st class form 5 ese li-dropouts joaloka mapolesa ao u a bolelang? Hobaneng ha barutehi ba utsoa empa ba le lihlooho li kholo hoea ka uena kaha u nahana hore ke melingoana ea Lesotho moo? Phoooo! stupid bastard with shallow mind.
Comment by Sera sa motho ke tlala on 27 December 2012:
Dear Editor, you must take into consideration that we know exactly that Zimbabwean police are the most corrupt force in this region. Don’t just judge only Lesotho police, but also tell us about corruption including bribery committed by police force in your country Zimbabwe.
Comment by Petsoamajoeng on 28 December 2012:
@lefefooane, Shame on you and those who lied to you saying you are educated with a cheap degree that can take you nowhere but confine you in little maseru.
Comment by Gaddafi on 28 December 2012:
Most of time, Les government just ignore all its workers within civil service including forces on issues concerning these poor salaries. It is not the intention of government at all to improve the poor salaries of all civil servants. How can you survive with low salary of M5000 gross as a graduate that you are also expected to payback NMDS bursary loan? How will you survive after being deducted monthly instalment for a study loan when you earn so less?
We always hear government complaining that civil servants are corrupt as they demand bribery from the society, but govt just ignore the truth that it doesn’t pay its workers the decent salaries. Most of time we hear of Parliamentarians who always approve the law which supports them to be given a lot of money and be given free interest loans. These MPs earn big salaries including some perks. They don’t want the workers to be paid good salaries, they just always criticise govt workers. If the workers are still being underpaid, the service delivery will be very poor as the workers are demotivated. You will fire them and employ another staff and they will act the same way.
Comment by Peter on 5 January 2013:
Police outside Peka openly solicited a bribe from me whilst
travelling to Buthe Buthe. Apparently I had not waited at the roadblock to be called by the Policeman but drove forward as the
car in front of me pulled away. This really spoilt the otherwise
pleasant experience we had in Lesotho. To whom can I report this
incident ?
Pingback by Slinking Toward Retirement | Oscar Pistorius detective: Hilton Botha isn’t alone. South Africa’s police are really, really corrupt. | News, Travel, Opinion and Just Odd and Funny Things... on 17 March 2013:
[...] news source for Lesotho, the tiny, land-locked country located entirely within South Africa—recently published an editorial asking whether “our police are the most corrupt in southern [...]