- Minister commends BPS for bringing ATM bombings and armed robberies down
GAZETTE REPORTER
The Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Kagiso Mmusi, is confident that the spate of bombings of Automated Teller Machines (ATM) that plagued the country over the last couple of years is finally under control.
Mmusi told Parliament yesterday (Tuesday) that the ATM bombings and armed robberies have gone down significantly as a result of efforts of the Botswana Police Service (BPS) and other law enforcement agencies.
According to BPS, 13 cash-in-transit robberies and seven ATM bombings were recorded between January 2021 and August 2022.
P13 million
Most of these cases were recorded in Gaborone and other southern policing districts of the country. Over P13 million was confirmed to have been stolen in the process.
“I would like to assure this Honourable House that incidents of Automated Teller Machine bombings and armed robberies are under control,” Minister Mmusi said in Parliament.
“This is due to concerted efforts by all law enforcement agencies led by Botswana Police Service (BPS). The BPS will therefore continue to monitor the situation and adjust its strategies to ensure that the crimes are put under total control.”
He was responding to a question by the MP for Tati West, Simon Moabi, who wanted to know what measures the government has taken to curb the increasing rate of bombings of ATMs and armed robberies in the country.