His Excellency, Mr Tomas Ulicny, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Botswana, paid a Courtesy Call on the Acting Commissioner of Police, Mr Solomon Mantswe, recently at Police Headquarters. His mission was to explore areas for collaboration with the Botswana Police Service (BPS).

In his welcome remarks, the Acting Commissioner described the visit as a golden opportunity to enhance bilateral law enforcement collaboration. He emphasised Botswana’s commitment to international peace and security through its active membership in global bodies such as the United Nations and INTERPOL. The BPS, he said, remains focused on strengthening partnerships both locally and internationally to combat crime effectively.

Mr Mantswe noted that despite current economic constraints, Botswana is considered one of the region's safest and most progressive nations. Its secure environment continues to attract tourists and investors.

The Acting Commissioner said that the BPS acknowledged ongoing challenges posed by globalisation and cyber threats. He said that to tackle such modern crimes, the BPS has established a Cyber Forensics Branch and is seeking support in building capacity in this area. Mr Mantswe also called for cooperation in intelligence sharing, secure communication systems, and enhanced traffic law enforcement.

The Acting Commissioner further appealed for assistance in expanding Safer City surveillance technologies, which currently face limited coverage due to funding limitations. Mr Mantswe expressed confidence that the meeting would lay a solid foundation for strategic cooperation, ultimately contributing to safer communities and stronger digital security.

For his part, His Excellency Ulicny commended the BPS for its commitment to public safety and pledged support in key law enforcement areas, particularly cybercrime, police training, and traffic law enforcement. Mr Ulicny noted the growing threats in the global digital space and emphasised the need for stronger cyber security capacities. He assured the BPS of the Czech Republic's interest in cooperating on digital forensics, secure communication channels, and cybercrime investigations.

The Ambassador also offered capacity-building support through the Czech Republic’s experienced training units, highlighting areas such as defensive and police operational tactics, firearms training, tactical first aid, K9 (dogs) breeding and training.

On traffic law enforcement, the Ambassador said the Czech Republic has built robust systems to deal with traffic-related offences, including speed control and overweight vehicles. He shared that, like Botswana, the Czech Republic handles heavy transit traffic due to its central location in Europe, requiring complex coordination between enforcement agencies and local authorities.

Mr Ulicny emphasised that road safety remains a top priority and that the Czech model, which integrates enforcement, record systems, and inter-agency coordination, has proven effective and could benefit Botswana. He stressed that the success of these systems lies not only in technology but also in the development of appropriate legislation and enforcement standards.

The Ambassador was accompanied by Mr David Vaverka, Head of the Economic and Commercial Section at the Embassy of the Czech Republic, who is responsible for South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia.