Traditional Society and Urban Democratic Policing in Botswana

Abstract

Traditional African systems of social control typically have revolved around deference to chieftaincy authorities. During the colonial period, developmental neglect and a subsistence/feudal mode of production in Botswana produced a model of customary social control. Since independence, however, Botswana has forged extraordinary rates of economic and urban growth placing strains on both its adherence to traditional norms and its attempt to construct a police institution based on the rule of law. Drawing on official data and field interviews, this paper seeks to understand some of the constraints encountered in establishing Third World democratic police forces.