Jan
MOTOR vehicle fund (MVA Fund) recently donated three booze buses to the Botswana Police Service.
The mobile alcohol testing vehicles worth P2.3 million are expected to ease off the police in having to take down their suspects to the police station for breathalyzer tests.
Speaking at the hand over ceremony, The Ass. Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Dr Gloria Somolekae said mobility was an essential elememt that enables the police to track and follow traffic volumes and deploy resources accordingly.
“The booze buses will meet the needs of the police in executing effective enforcement of road safety laws. Botswana has committed itself in carrying out the United Nations’ General assembly “Decade of Action For Road Safety 2011-2020” campaign which intends to reduce road accidents fatalities by half by the year 2020.
Police Commissioner The beyame Tsimako said the three booze buses brings to a total of nine booze vehicles the police has. “These buses will boost police capability for roadside compulsory breath testing. The buses will also increase police effectiveness, efficiency and the overall morale of officers deployed on drunken driving operations.”
– The beyame Tsimako
All the booze buses are equipped with the state of the art breathalyzer testing gadgets and secure holding cells for nabbed offenders. MVA Fund Chief Executive Officer, Mr Cross Kgosidiile emphasized the need to collaborate as industry players in the fight against the escalating number of road crashes. He mentioned that road safety is everybody’s concern and as such apart from building capacity for its stakeholders, MVA Fund is also engaging the community to come up with ideas on how road crashes could be eradicated in thier respective localities, and to this end the community will be funded by the Fund’s Community Road Safety Grant Scheme.