The Commissioner of Botswana Police Service (BPS), Commissioner Dinah Marathe, officially opened the SADC training on Identification, Record-Keeping and Tracing of Small Arms, Light Weapons and Ammunition today (18/11/2025) in Gaborone.

When giving a keynote address, Commissioner Marathe appreciated the honour bestowed upon Botswana for hosting this specialised training. She noted that the workshop was aimed at strengthening Member States ability to exhaust INTERPOL’s iARMS system, identify and trace firearms. In addition, the Commissioner stated that by the end of the training, participants were expected to establish forensic linkages across borders and enabled to accurately identify a wide range of firearms and ammunition commonly found in the SADC region.

Commissioner Marathe said the training was a resolution from the 2024 SARPCCO Chiefs of Police Meeting, which called for greater capacity among Member States to curb illicit weapons under the SADC Firearms Protocol. The Commissioner further stated that the region faced an increase of illicit small arms and light weapons, a status she said called for coordination and collective efforts.

“At domestic level, these fuel the perpetuation of violent crimes such as murder, rape, and armed robbery,” she said, reaffirming Botswana’s long-standing commitment to promoting peace and security. Furthermore, the Commissioner emphasised the country’s continued participation in key international and regional security bodies, including the United Nations, INTERPOL, the African Union and the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO) which is an arm of SADC.

Commissioner Marathe acknowledged all stakeholders that made the training possible comprising; SADC, INTERPOL, the African Union, the Government of Germany . She urged all partners to continue working jointly to curb the spread of illegal arms and safeguard the region’s stability.

The training has drawn 20 police officers from Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, South Africa, Seychelles, Namibia, Mozambique, Eswatini, Malawi and Mauritius.