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Police intelligence unit to be dissolved?

Written by Ludovic Micinthe

Wednesday, 12 September 2007 16:29

Police intelligence unit to be dissolved? AUBREY LUTE Despite rumours to the contrary, the Minister of Justice, Defence and Security, Mr Phandu Tombola Chaha Skelemani, has denied that the Police Services intelligence unit will be phased out. He said the police need their own intelligence apparatus, therefore it would not be dismantled. Information reaching The Gazette suggests that officers currently servicing the police intelligence unit would be distributed among other organs; the newly established Directorate on Intelligence and Security Services (DISS) would assimilate some while others would be transferred to other police departments. The Gazette has learnt that the Central Investigation Department (CID) would take over the role of police intelligence and some of the officers in the current intelligence unit will be deployed to that department to give it more capacity. The rumours have aroused a lot of speculation from officers serving within and outside the branch. The decision comes shortly after Parliament passed a law to establish DISS, which will be responsible for detecting internal and external threats to the country and socio-political and economic stability. The Commissioner of Police Mr Thebeyame Tsimako would not comment on the matter. Through his spokesperson, Solomon Mantswe, he said the Ministry was better at addressing issues of intelligence. The Gazette spoke to some officers about the issue; some felt that it would be a good move to dismantle the unit because it would ensure that officers who were enrolled with the intelligence unit now focus on their core duty of policing. Police intelligence officers were going to clash with the new body. If I can tell you this, there were clashes already with military intelligence because they tended to focus on some of our core areas, said an officer who preferred anonymity. But others believe that it is crucial that police retain their own intelligence to be able to detect crime. Another confusion is, what will happen to top police intelligence officers because definitely there is no new department being created in the Police Service, what are they going to head?The Police Intelligence unit is headed by Senior Assistant Commissioner Harold Mogale. < Prev   Next >

Last Updated on Friday, 14 September 2007 07:39