The Botswana Police Service has reported a notable drop in both property-related and violent crimes over the Easter holidays this year, with national figures showing a 16% decrease in overall offenses against property and a striking 47% decline in gender-based violence (GBV) cases compared to the same period in 2024.
Assistant Commissioner of Police and Public Relations Officer, Near Bagali, shared the statistics in a statement released this week, attributing the downward trend to proactive policing and stronger community engagement.
According to the report, the number of offences against property during the 2025 Easter period fell to 92, down from 109 recorded in 2024. Although there were increases in specific categories such as store breaking and theft, robbery, and stealing stock, the broader trend remained positive.
Housebreaking and Theft declined from 22 cases in 2024 to 13 in 2025. Breaking into a motor vehicle cases dropped significantly from 39 cases in 2024 to just 20 in 2025. Burglary and theft saw a slight rise from 14 to 17 cases.
Similarly, violent crimes also saw a sharp decline. The Police registered only 62 cases of offenses against persons, down from 117 in 2024—a 47% drop. Notable decreases were recorded in cases of rape (down from 37 to 18), unlawful wounding (43 to 24), and defilement (10 to 7).
Despite the overall reduction, GBV remains a critical issue. The report highlighted 40 cases directly related to gender-based violence, including 18 cases of rape and 7 of defilement. Although this represents a 47% decrease from last year’s GBV cases, Bagali cautioned against complacency.
“It is still a concern that some sectors of society are continuously developing a deep-rooted culture of violence,” he stated. “The Police implore every citizen to commit to peaceful conflict resolution rather than through violence. The communities are also encouraged to recognise the importance of individual human rights.
The report credited the success, in part, to the efforts of the community policing initiative, which Bagali said played a “tremendous role” in both preventing and detecting crime over the Easter holiday.
“We acknowledge the tremendous contribution made by the community policing initiative during the Easter Holidays to the prevention and detection of crime, which guarantees citizens’ and residents’ public safety and security,” Bagali added.
As the nation reflects on these encouraging trends, law enforcement authorities continue to stress the need for collaborative efforts to maintain and build on this progress.
