Launching the Botswana National Action Plan on Firearms Management. 2nd August 2004, Gaberone Sun, Botswana

Introduction Botswana’s Commitments to Develop a National Action Plan As a signatory to a number of regional and international agreements and protocols on the control and management of small arms and light weapons Botswana is committed to undertake a range of activities and initiatives to effectively and comprehensively tackle the proliferation, management and control of small arms and light weapons.

The key small arms agreements to which Botswana is party to include:

The SADC Protocol on the Control of Firearms, Ammunition and other related materials;
The Bamako Declaration on an African Common Position on the Illicit Proliferation Circulation and Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons;
United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms an Light Weapons in All Its Aspects; and
Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of, and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts, Components and Ammunition, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

One of the most important activities that states can undertake to tackle the small arms issue is the development of comprehensive National Action Plan (NAP).

Such NAPs are a specific requirement of the Bamako Declaration:
2 (viii) the institutionalisation of national and regional programmes of action aimed at preventing, controlling and eradicating the illicit proliferation, circulation and trafficking of small arms and light weapons in Africa
3A(iv) develop and implement, where they do not yet exist, national programmes for:

the responsible management of licit arms
3A(viii) encourage, where appropriate, the active involvement of civil society in the formulation and implementation of a national plan to deal with the problem.

Entry into Force of the SADC Protocol on Firearms, Ammunition and Related materials
The articles of the SADC Protocol on the Control of Firearms, Ammunition and other related materials will be legally binding on all member states of SADC, which includes Botswana, once the Protocol is ratified by two thirds of the signatories of the protocol. This will happen on 30 July 200.. This Protocol, contains many important commitments and stipulates many of the key issues that must be included in a NAP, including inter alia; the creation of a national firearms policy, the review and harmonisation of firearm legislation, enhancing operational capacity, public education and awareness raising, exchange of information and voluntary collection and exchange programmes.

The Botswana National Consultative Conference of 2003 The Botswana Police Service recognizes that the primary responsibility for the safety of the Botswana people rests with the Botswana Police Service, but also that civil society has a prominent role to play. In the case of the prevention, management and resolution of the problem of small arms proliferation and the reduction of its negative effects in society, there are many roles that civil society can play such as community mobilization and public awareness campaigns. As such, the First National Consultative Conference on Firearm Control, Ownership and Administration in Botswana: Towards a Safe and Secure Nation was held in Gaborone at the Grand Palm Conference Centre from 13 – 15 May 2003. The Conference was organized by the Botswana National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons and its lead agency, the Botswana Police Service. The Conference was held with the support of Botswana civil society through the Botswana Council of Non- Governmental Organizations (BOCONGO) and with the technical and material assistance of SaferAfrica and Saferworld.

The general conference recommendations were as follows:

The government and civil society should work together to effectively create and implement a National Plan of Action on small arms and light weapons management in Botswana that takes into account all the existing regional and international protocols and initiatives on small arms proliferation issues. This national plan should guide the development of a national policy on firearms and all the recommendations that emerged during the conference.
The National Focal Point should be expanded to include representatives of civil society as an integral part of the Focal Point. This will maximize consultation and co-operation between governmental agencies and civil society organisations in pursuit of all actions supporting the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the National Plan of Action on small arms and light weapons management.
The review of the Firearms and Ammunition Act should be undertaken taking into account the concerns raised at the Conference and in broad consultation with civil society as appropriate.
Civil society organisations, including Non-Governmental Organisations, community organisations, professional and religious associations, private sector and academic institutions, amongst others, should strive to improve their interactions with each other and to institute a common civil society Forum for the discussion of joint activities, actions and concerns.
The conference report should be made available to the relevant national and international authorities for their information and support.

The strengthening of the Botswana National Focal Point (BNFP) and the decision to engage in a National Action Plan To meet the regional and international commitments to which Botswana is party, as well as the recommendations of the National Conference, the Botswana National Focal Point (BNFP) held several meetings that were facilitated by SaferAfrica. These meetings refined the nature, role and composition of the BNFP as well as workshopped the decision to engage in the creation of a National Action Plan for Arms Management and Disarmament in Botswana.

These meetings were attended by the BNFP members, including:
Mr. E.J. Batshu DCP(Operations) – National Focal Point Co-ordinator
Botswana Police Service – 2 members
Botswana Defence Force – 2 members
Department of Mines – 1 member
Customs and Excise – 2 members
Immigration – 2 members
Ministry of Foreign Affairs – 2 members
Ministry of Education – 2 members
Office of the President – 2 members
Prisons and Rehabilitation – 1 member
Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism – 3 members
Local Police – 1 member
Civil Aviation – 2 members
Attorney General Chambers – 2 members
Bocongo – 2 members and, the meetings were also attended by the three Divisional Commanders as well as the 14 District Commanders.

In order to develop the NAP, the BNFP recommended that it was first necessary to determine the true nature and extent of the firearm problem in the country and to identify the resources that are available and needed to implement the NAP and effectively tackle the identified issues. The approach that Botswana has taken followed a tested model developed by SaferAfrica and Saferworld, which includes four main stages:

Preparatory phase – The main aims of this phase include identifying the goals and objectives, establishing the terms of reference and undertaking logistical planning for the information collection or mapping phase.
Information collection or mapping phase – Information is collected during this phase to determine the true nature and extent of the small arms problem. Three primary sets of information are collected: 10 physical information; attitude information and; resource information. These sets of data are collected using three primary research methods; namely
1. Law Enforcement Agency Workshops, conducted in each District of the country by government representatives of the National Focal Point and the Mapping Team.
2. Civil Society Workshops, conducted with representatives from each District of the country by the Mapping Team and civil society representatives of the National Focal Point.
3. Population (attitude) Survey, in which a representative cross-section of the population in terms of age, gender and geographical distribution is surveyed. Local people trained in research methods by the Mapping Team conducted the survey.
Analysis and plan development – All the primary and secondary information is analysed to determine the possible options for the NAP. Key government officials, local civil society and the Mapping Team do this analysis jointly.
Implementation and monitoring – Shortly after the NAP was approved, an implementation and monitoring plan was developed with the government and civil society to ensure continuity in implementation and timely verification and adjustment of the plan. The implementation and monitoring plan allocates clear responsibilities and roles to different government and civil society agencies to monitor and verify activities. This ongoing process of monitoring ensures that adjustment to projects and, where necessary, corrective action can be taken to ensure that the agreed objectives of the NAP are successfully fulfilled.

National Assessment: Mapping Process In Botswana, the mapping process has followed the phased approach outlined above. Preparatory workshops were held from 16 – 17 September 2003 and from 13 – 15 October 2003. These workshops set the terms of reference for the information collection phase and carried out the logistical planning. Information Collection Phase: The information collection phase or mapping in Botswana was divided into three stages with the law enforcement workshops and civil society workshops taking place in November 2003, consultations with civil society occurring in October 2003 and the population survey conducted in November 2003.
The full mapping team involved in this process was made up of the following personnel:
Mr. C.M. Moalosi Botswana Police Service
Mr. L.B. Mpulubusi Botswana Police Service
Mr. W.K. Bosija Botswana Police Service
Ms. O.P. Motsemme Botswana Police Service
Ms. G. Raditlhalo Botswana Police Service
Ms. S. Hlongwa SaferAfrica
Mr. S.G. Buijs SaferAfrica
Mr. E. Hennop SaferAfrica
Ms. C. Jefferson SaferAfrica
Ms. K. Robertson SaferAfrica

Law enforcement workshops - workshops were held in every District of the country and involved consultations with the key law enforcement officials deployed on the district level in Botswana. Representatives of every law enforcement agency at the district level were invited to participate in the workshops. A total of 304 law enforcement officials were consulted in the series of workshops.
The Law Enforcement mapping team was made up of the following personnel:

Mr. Colin Moalosi – Botswana Police Service
Mr. Witness Bosija – Botswana Police Service
Mr. Sarel Buijs – Botswana Mapping Co-ordinator SaferAfrica
Mr. Ettienne Hennop – SaferAfrica

The following personnel were invited to attend:
District Officials:

District Commissioner (DC)
Divisional Police Commander (where applicable)
Representative of the Attorney General
Officer Commanding Police District (OCPD)
Regional Security Intelligence Officer (RSIO)
District Criminal Investigation Officer (DCIO)
Area Security Intelligence Officer (ASIO)
Local Police District Commander
District Customs Official (DCO)
District Immigration Official (DIO)
Military Officer in charge (if any)
District Wildlife Representative
District Magistrate
Senior Representative (Customs and Immigration) from every border post/point of entry
Station Commanders
Bye Law Enforcement Officers
Tribal Secretary

The objectives of the Law Enforcement Agency workshops and survey were:

To inform Law Enforcement Agencies at the District level of the Mapping Activity and the NAP, the steps that are planned for the rest of the information collection phase and the support expected from their side for the process (The Mapping Team did this through presentations).
To collect information from Law Enforcement officials on their perceptions and experiences of the small arms problem in their District, and their suggestions on how to deal with the problem (This was done through a practitioner’s survey and discussion group activities).
To provide Law Enforcement officials with an opportunity to interact with the BNFP, input into the NAP and highlight specific issues per district that need to be addressed during the creation of the NAP (This was done through discussion group activities).

Recommendations coming out of this law enforcement agency workshops proved that, although Districts have their own unique challenges and specific problems, the main recommendations throughout the country were remarkably similar.
In summary, the recommendations were:

Policy on small arms and light weapons: A clear and comprehensive national policy on small arms, light weapons, ammunition and explosives was identified as a priority requirement to govern the NAP and provide the guidelines to prevent, control and manage the proliferation, illicit possession and abuse of SALW. The policy should address the full spectrum of issues related to SALW and provide the basis for the review of national legislation, regulations and administrative procedure governing SALW.
Firearms Act: The existing Firearms Act is regarded as not in step with current realities and law enforcement requirements. The Act should be reviewed to incorporate the National Policy, current realities prevalent in Botswana and sub-regionally and internationally agreed measures to deal with the SALW problem in a comprehensive and co-ordinated manner.
Central Arms Database: A central electronic database for national recordkeeping, control of the national stockpile and to assist with investigation, national information needs and sub-regional cooperation is a priority concern. Participants felt that they will only be able to deal with illicit SALW once they are able to establish what is licit. Currently national records are insufficient and cannot provide for the needs of law enforcement, control and investigation.
Stockpile Management: Participants agreed that serious attention should be given to stockpile management issues in the creation of the national policy. Clear and comprehensive policy guidelines should be given to issues such as security of stock, proper storage, issue of firearms and ammunition 12 from armouries, management of captured and seized stock, levels of stock kept at national armouries and depots, surplus and obsolete stock, disposal and destruction, national recordkeeping, licensing criteria and procedure, etc.
Capacity Building and Training: A wide range of added capacity and skills were recommended during the feedback session. In summary those relate to:
Training and Capacity needs:
Arms Management and disarmament skills for middle and senior management personnel.
Specialised investigation skills on national level such as ballistic experts, forensic investigation, recordkeeping and stockpile management.
Basic investigation skills such as firearm identification, management of a crime scene, firearm crime related investigation, etc.
Specific skills such as computer literacy.
Resources: Various recommendations were made on resource needs to enable sufficient performance and effective enforcement and response. These needs should be dealt with in part between the NAP and the National Budget.
National Co-ordination Mechanisms: It became clear during the discussion sessions that the BNFP will need assistance to co-ordinate and implement the NAP down to district level. For this purpose participants recommended the formation of District Task Forces, structured in the same manner as the BNFP. The District Task Force will be responsible for the co-ordination and implementation of the NAP as directed by the BNFP and it will also function as the co-ordination mechanism between the BNFP and districts.
Involvement of Civil Society: The crucial role that civil society organisations must play during the Mapping Phase and the implementation of the NAP was recognised by participants throughout the country.
Public Awareness and Education: Most participants stressed the need for a massive public awareness and education programme early in the NAP. The civil society workshops should also be utilised as a public awareness tool. Accompanying press coverage and radio broadcasting sessions should be used to inform the general public of the intentions and objectives with the NAP.

Civil society workshops A total of 8 civil society workshops were held in the following towns:

Palapye – 10 November 2003
Selibe Pikwe – 11 November 2003
Francistown – 12 November 2003
Kasane – 14 November 2003
Maun – 17 November 2003
Ganzi – 18 November 2003
Tshabong – 20 November 2003
Gaborone – 24 November 2003

The Civil Society Mapping team was made up of the following personnel:

Ms. Precious Motsemme – Botswana Police Service
Ms. Grace Radithalo – Botswana Police Service
Ms. Slu Hlongwa – Facilitator SaferAfrica

A total of 43 civil society organisations working on issues ranging from development and conflict, gender and youth, through to religious based organisations and NGO networks attended these meetings. These organisations were drawn from every District of the country. The objectives of the workshops were:

To inform Civil Society Organisations working at district level of the Mapping Activity, the Population Survey and the National Action Plan and the support expected from their side for the process. (The Workshop Team did this through presentations.)
To collect information from Civil Society Organisations officials on their perceptions and experiences of the SALW problem in their district and learn about their current activities to deal with the problems associated with the availability of SALW in the communities.
To provide Civil Society Organisations with an opportunity to interact with the National Focal Point, input into the national action plan and highlight specific issues per districts that needs to be addressed during the creation of the National Action Plan. (This was done through discussion group activities.)

These objectives were met through a combination of presentations to inform civil society of the small arms issue, the mapping activity and the NAP and structured working group and open discussion to elicit experiences, views and knowledge from civil society. Participants also completed a survey on their experiences of and attitudes to firearms and security.

While a number of challenges were thrown down to the BNFP, its creation and willingness to engage with civil society and initiative in developing a NAP were widely welcomed. In the workshops, however, participants expressed a degree of scepticism as to the government’s intentions and a fear that government’s efforts to engage with civil society might be a vested attempt to absorb and neuter civil society. Altering perceptions and allaying such fears will take considerable time and it is apparent that words can only go so far. It cannot be overstated how important it is that the BNFP demonstrate its commitment to engage with civil society - and more broadly to effectively tackle the small arms problem - through action and concerted, regular and sustained communication and dialogue with civil society. Recommendations coming from these workshops included the following:

Need for concerted interaction - continued regular interaction with civil society will be crucial.
Action on the ground - commitment of the government to tackling the small arms issue and to engage with civil society needs to be demonstrated through concerted action on the ground.
Engage more organisations - there is need to engage further with civil society organisations beyond those that attended the workshops.
Consult international NGOs - it will be particularly important to reach some of the larger international NGOs with extensive programmes in Botswana to ensure that the NAP complements and seeks to exploit opportunities presented by existing programmes of work.
Engagement outside Gaborone – there was a strong sense of marginalisation expressed by many civil society organisations both narrowly with regard to how and which civil society organisations are listened to and supported but also more broadly and deeply with regard to issues of governance. It will be crucial that the BNFP engage with civil society from across the country and that this engagement happens in the local communities and not in Gaborone.
Needs assessment – a detailed needs assessment will be required to ensure that the existing capacity of civil society is effectively harnessed and that, where gaps exist that a concerted programme of capacity building is put in place. KEY CONCERNS

THAT EMERGED OUT OF THE CIVIL SOCIETY STAKEHOLDERS WERE:

Programmes to change attitudes – changing the perceptions of those possessing firearms was seen as crucial in addressing small arms proliferation in Botswana. In some areas it was felt that firearm possession has become normalised/accepted behavior. Public awareness raising and civic education campaigns should be conducted on: the NAP; the dangers of firearms; conflict resolution and peace building; and the public’s responsibility to tackle security issues (include community policing awareness).
Provision of effective security – how the state provides security was felt to be perhaps the single most important factor in addressing the illegal possession of firearms. Without the effective provision of security the proliferation of firearms cannot be successfully tackled.
Governance issues and regional marginalisation – the importance of linking the NAP to other programmes and strategies to deal with poverty and governance. Without addressing these issues many felt that the problem could not be effectively tackled.
Promotion of effective government/civil society interaction – this should include:
- The development, where they don’t exist, and consolidation of local structures to enable civil society members to regularly interact and discuss security issues with local law enforcement and local government officials. Establishing Peace and Security Committees with permanent civil society representation in every district was suggested.
- The development by the BNFP of a communications outreach strategy for engagement with civil society to ensure effective and open sharing of information from government and from civil society.
- A strategy for the BNFP to enhance and engage existing civil society networks.
- The development by the BNFP of working practices that actively seek to demonstrate and practice transparency and accountability.
- The development of a strategy to change the attitudes of both government and civil society on their perceptions and attitudes towards working together.
Review of firearms legislation in particular with regard to civilian possession, state possession, stockpile management and manufacture.
Roles identified by civil society in the NAP:
- Participants identified a number of roles that they felt they could actively and effectively play in the implementation of the NAP. These included: capacity building of local communities; information collection and dissemination; monitoring and evaluation; public awareness raising; advocacy and lobbying; networking and collaboration with other civil society and with government; rapid response to crisis situations; conflict resolution and peace building; community policing and acting as a link between the government and the local community.
- During the workshops participants were also asked to identify their key needs for involvement in the NAP. They identified information sharing from government, capacity building and training, the establishment of a documentation/resource centre on the small arms issue and financial and material support.

Population survey In total, 3,226 valid surveys were conducted throughout the 14 Police Districts of Botswana between 30 November and 11 December 2003. A representative cross-section of the population in terms of age, gender and geographical distribution were surveyed, with interviews conducted by 47 local Botswana surveyors who were trained in research methods by the Mapping Team from SaferAfrica. This team was made up of the following personnel:

Ms. Precious Motsemme – Botswana Police Service
Ms. Grace Radithalo – Botswana Police Service
Mr. C.M. Moalosi – Botswana Police Service
Mr. L.B. Mpulubusi – Botswana Police Service
Mr. W.K. Bosija – Botswana Police Service
Ms. C. Jefferson – SaferAfrica
Ms. K. Robertson – SaferAfrica
Mr. S.G. Buijs – SaferAfrica

The survey itself examined various socio-economic indicators as well as indicators of security and firearms penetration.

The survey illuminated some of the true factors influencing the demand for small arms and the interconnections between these factors and other societal socio-economic issues, as well as highlighting the true impact that firearms are having on society. The results of the survey are particularly important in identifying those districts most seriously affected, prioritising responses within the framework of the NAP and identifying specific strategies to reduce the demand for small arms. The results of the survey also help to throw light upon the capacity of communities themselves (community structures, ability and willingness to help others etc) to proactively address the small arms issue.

An initial descriptive narrative analysis of the population survey results has been done and the BNFP was able to use this as a basis for discussions and analysis during the workshop to draft the NAP. One of the first tasks that has been prioritised in the draft NAP is for more thorough analysis of the results of the population survey to be conducted, in particular, to identify those specific districts that are most affected by firearm-related insecurity and instability and to identify those districts where development may be a key factor in reducing the demand for firearms.

Development of Botswana’s draft National Action Plan
The Botswana NFP met from 14 – 16 January 2004 at the Tati River Lodge in Francistown to analyse and discuss the results of the mapping exercise. The analysis was attended by the following personnel:
The full Botswana National Focal Point Additional members

Divisional Commanders South, South Central and North
SSG Commander
Officer Commanding Police District no 1, 3, 5, 9, 11 and 12
Regional Immigration Officer no 10 District
Staff Officer Police Legal Services
RSIO North
ASIO Chobe
Wildlife no 9 District
BOCONGO
Botswana Institute for Development, Policy Analysis
Mapping Team

Drawing on the results of the law enforcement and civil society workshops, the law enforcement, civil society and population surveys and the collected secondary sources of information, the BNFP has developed a NAP for Arms Management and Disarmament in Botswana.