- Police warn of increased number of road accidents and criminal activities
- Says collective vigilance is required to ensure the well being of all
- Heighten security measures to ensure public safety
- Police officers already deployed to patrol key areas including towns and high traffic zones
With the festive season approaching, police in Shakawe have urged members of the public to prioritise safety at all the times, whether on the roads, in public spaces or at events.
This as the festive period is marked by heightened travel and celebratory gatherings, as well as increased number of road accidents and criminal activities. Shakawe police station commander superintendent Ogolotse Tampa said this therefore requires collective vigilance to ensure the wellbeing of all citizens.
He advised parents and caretakers to ensure that their children are always under supervision and protected from any hazardous situations. The station commander further warned the public to remain cautious of scammers and fraudsters who often take advantage of the festive season to exploit unsuspecting individuals.
Meanwhile, Tampa has also urged pedestrians to exercise caution when on the road to avoid being hit by vehicles. This as Shakawe police have already recorded two hit and run incidents this year alone.
In the first incident a 35-year-old man of Divava ward in Mohembo-East was recently knocked out by a car while attempting to cross the road at the Okavango River bridge.
Superintendent Tampa said they received a report at around that a person was found lying on the bridge who seemed to have been hit by a car as he was seriously injured. The report was made by a 37-year-old police officer who was passing by.
Police immediately rushed to the scene where they indeed found the man in a bad state as he had sustained multiple injuries. They then took him to Joseph Kavindama Hospital in Shakawe were a doctor certified him dead. The deceased’s body was then taken to Maun for a postmortem for further investigations.
According to the station commander, they are not certain where the deceased was from as he was found lying on the road with a broken bottle of beer and a fish next to him. However, the police boss stated that the deceased seemed to have been knocked down by a car in the middle of the road that left him lying suspecting that another vehicle may have also come and ran into him as his legs were severely broken.
The station commander has pleaded with the community to report any information that might lead to the arrest of the suspected driver or for him to report himself to the police. He said if found guilty the driver will face 2 charges being that of failure to report an accident and causing death by careless driving.
Tampa revealed that this was the second incident to had taken place in his area revealing that the first one occurred along the Mohembo road around March when another man was hit by a car at night and the driver also fled the scene.
He emphasised that road safety is everyone’s responsibility and encouraged the public to report any reckless driving to the police. He further encouraged the public not to walk along the road especially when under the influence of alcohol adding that the area has bad roads and very few street lights.
He further stressed the need for intensified and continuous public education noting that some of these road accidents could have been avoided easily if road users were vigilant. He further reminded all road users to strictly adhere to the rules of the road and refrain from reckless behavior of drunken driving and using the mobile phone while driving.
