Walk The Talk, Mr Commissioner

(MENAFN- The Post) Police Commissioner Holomo Molibeli appears to have caught a habit of talking tough but doing little to stop the scourge of crime that has gripped Lesotho for much of his tenure.

He was at it again last week when he told a Justice Sector Coordination Forum that the famo music gangs, blamed for much of the murders and other violent crimes, have become a“national security threat”. He described the gangs as 'domestic terrorists', a significant step up from“violent criminals”.

He promised fire and thunder against the gangs wreaking havoc in communities across the country. Police officers who are gang members or supplying guns to them will face the full wrath of the law, he said.

If this was the first time Molibeli had used such strong words and threatened to act, we would be cheering him on.
Sadly, we have heard those forceful words before but with very little action and results.

If anything, the gangs have continued to kill with impunity and maim with near impunity. They have left a trail of hundreds of orphaned families. Their killing sprees, especially in the Mafeteng district, have driven hundreds of families from their homes. Commissioner Molibeli told the forum that some gang members have become hitmen, with some charging as little as M500 for a hit.

The commissioner faces three main stumbling blocks in his fight against the famo gangs.
The first is that his police officers lack the skills and resources to investigate the gangs and break them.
The second is that he doesn't have the necessary political will to launch an all-out war against the gangs.

The third, which is even more pernicious and embarrassing, is that some of his officers are gang members. These rogue police officers are supplying arms to the gangs, protecting suspects, leaking intelligence to gang leaders and sabotaging investigations.

The first two might not be within the commissioner's powers but he still has to speak truth to power and compel them to do the needful.
He should tell the prime minister that he is failing dismally because he is sending officers armed with batons and outdated investigation skills to battles with sophisticated, heavily armed and well-moneyed gangs.

The third problem is, however, the commissioner's baby because he is in charge.
That his officers are recruited by gangs is a serious indictment of his leadership.
So is the fact that officers are robbing the police armouries to arm the gangs.
The buck storms with him.

The indiscipline might not have started under his tenure but he has to deal with it now. Instilling and enforcing discipline among the rank and file should be his starting point in the fight against the gangs. Only after he has cleaned up his house can he compel politicians to play their part.

Imploring the government to adequately fund the police in the current rotten state would be as good as throwing money into a bottomless pit.
The commission should also correctly diagnose the problem. While money is important for the police, it is not the core issue.
Many of the problems don't require money.

He can tweak the training curriculum to shore up the police skills. Retraining officers will not cost much either.
The recruitment should be thorough to weed out rotten apples at the gate. That requires a clear strategy and systems, not money.
Discipline requires leadership, not money.

The commissioner should start walking the talk and also have a serious self-introspection. Until then, Basotho remain at the mercy of famo music gangsters that are not only rich and well-armed but also control elements of the police.

MENAFN10102023000229011070ID1107221131