Water Taps Crimewave in Botswana

Well! It seems that all is not well in Botswana. People have been having their water taps stolen.
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Botswana: Thieves Target Water Taps in G-West
A new crime wave has hit Gaborone West residential area as thieves are now targeting water taps. On Monday, a number of residents made reports to the police and some of them could not go to work after their water taps were stolen at night.

The Station Commander of Gaborone West Police station, Superintendent Bonnie Bareki confirmed that they have been handling increasing cases of theft of water taps.

He said on Tuesday, there were eight reports and yesterday there were four. He disclosed that on average, they handle four cases of stolen water taps daily. The police chief said the most hard hit area is Phase I.

He said in some cases, residents have been woken up by the sounds of flowing water after the thieves have stolen the taps. In other instances, the theft was discovered by police on patrol.

However, he said, the police have not made a breakthrough in their investigations and they have not arrested any suspects. Bareki appealed to members of the public for information that could lead to the arrest of the culprits.

He said they do not believe that the stolen items are smuggled outside the country. He said the water taps might be sold at scrap yards where they could be smelted and recycled.

The station commander said this is the first time that thieves have targeted water taps.
Meanwhile, Bareki said the crime in Gaborone West has declined. He revealed that cases of house breaking, burglary and street robberies have gone down. However, store breaking cases have increased. Bareki said thieves are now stealing building materials at construction sites.

Station commanders at Broadhurst and Urban police stations, said they have not received reports about stolen water taps. However, Broadhurst Station Commander, Counsel Moyo said they are on the alert about the crime.

Mmegi could not get a comment from officials of the Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) and Water Utilities.