Lesotho Mounted Police Service

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LMPS police vehicle

The Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS; German about " Mounted Police Force Lesotho") is the police force of the Kingdom of Lesotho .

history

Colonial times and autocratic governments

The establishment of the first police unit as Basutoland Mounted Police (BMP; about "Mounted Police Basutolands") took place in 1872 by the British Charles D. Griffith, shortly after the establishment of the Crown Colony of Basutoland . In addition to eleven sons of barena , around a hundred other residents of Basutoland and some British served. The police officers mostly used horses for their patrols. In 1878, British officers added to the police force. In 1879 the BMP helped the colonial troops suppress the Moorosi rebellion. In the Gun War (1880–1881) the BMP was used partly on the side of the barena, partly against them. In 1898, 268 men served in the police. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was established in 1946, followed by the Intelligence and Signal departments in 1953 . From 1954, the BMP grew by 40 percent in four years.

In the early 1960s the police force was expanded considerably. In 1963, the paramilitary Police Mobile Unit (PMU; roughly: "Mobile Police Unit") was created, which was founded with a view to the opposition activities of the Basutoland Congress Party (BCP). About 500 men belonged to the PMU. The police were renamed Lesotho Mounted Police (LMP) with independence . A few months later, Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan of the Basutoland National Party (BNP) used the PMU against loyal protesters in Thaba Bosiu , killing ten protesters. The number of police officers was doubled at the end of 1967 and a unit to combat cattle theft was added. BNP supporters were primarily hired, while officers close to the BCP were dismissed or harassed. In 1970 the LMP comprised 1,300 men. After the 1970 election , won by the BCP, it was the British PMU commander and member of the South African Secret Service Bureau of State Security , Fred Roach, who advised Jonathan to abort and suspend the constitution . However, Roach was deported in 1972 after overthrowing Jonathan. Lesotho has been a member of Interpol since September 6, 1971 . In 1972 military designations were introduced for the ranks, such as Major General for the chief of police.

In 1974, the Police Mobile Unit and BNP-affiliated groups were involved in the murder of around 1,000 opposition members. In July of the same year, Justin Metsing Lekhanya became the first Mosotho commander of the PMU. To combat the opposition Lesotho Liberation Army (LLA), the PMU was given additional weapons and greater influence through the Internal Security Amendment Act ("Supplement to the Law on Internal Security"). However, the fight against the LLA was not very successful, with the LLA also having a rather low effect. Jonathan was dependent on the PMU - the additional power he received led to corruption and wing fighting within the PMU. In 1977 the secret service became independent as the National Intelligence Service (NIS; "National Secret Service"). It received its first aircraft in 1978. In 1980 the PMU became part of the Lesotho Paramilitary Force (LPF) and was no longer part of the police.

Badge of the Royal Lesotho Mounted Police

With the coup by Lekhanya on 20 January 1986, the LMP was similar to the Army in Royal Lesotho Mounted Police (RLMP Royal Mounted Police Lesotho ) renamed.

After the democratization of Lesotho

In 1994, instead of the Ministry of Defense , the police were subordinated to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Public Safety (about: "Ministry of Interior and Public Security"). In the same year the police went on strike for higher wages. As a result, there was anarchy and a coup by King Letsie III. and the military - the elected government of the BCP could only be reinstated after around four weeks with the help of foreign troops. In May 1995 the protests flared up again. Three police officers were killed by an LMPS special unit. Only the Defense Commission was authorized to pursue the acts, but did not intervene. When the alleged perpetrators were arrested in January 1997, large sections of the police began mutiny . As a result, the Lesotho Defense Force took over some police tasks, surrounded the police headquarters and forced them to give up. Some police officers fled to the palace of Letsies III. and from there to South Africa. Eventually 30 officers were charged with murder and rioting . There has been no fundamental riot within the police since then.

The Police Act of 1998 reformed the police force. It has since been referred to as the Lesotho Mounted Police Service . The military designations of the ranks were replaced by civil ones; the Commissioner of Police has been in charge of the police ever since . A Police Complaints Authority was established to independently investigate allegations against police officers. An Inspector of Police (“Police Inspector”) has been appointed in the responsible ministry who, together with the newly created Police Directorate (“Polizeidirektorat”), is to monitor police work. From 2005, Malejaka Letooane was the first woman to head the LMPS. In 2014 Khothatso Tšooana became Commissioner.

On August 30, 2014, as part of an attempted coup against Thomas Thabane's government , soldiers of the Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) surrounded several police stations, shot one policeman and injured nine policemen. They also carried out an attack on the home of the commissioner who fled to South Africa. In the following weeks there were shootings between soldiers and police officers.

In the course of the state crisis, Tšooana had to leave the country in addition to the two commanders of the LDF. After the 2015 elections and the victory of the former opposition, he was able to return, but his deputy Keketso Monaheng was appointed as acting commissioner in his place. Tšooana is taking legal action against it. In August 2015, Tšooana was deposed by the Prime Minister. He was succeeded by Molahlehi Letsoepa, who was deposed in 2017 and was among the accused in 2018 for the 2014 murder of the police officer. His successor Holomo Molibeli in turn was suspended by Thabane. Molibeli took legal action against it, claiming that Thabane was implicated in the murder of his ex-wife in 2017. Thabane then withdrew the suspension.

In mid-April, another attempt by Thabane to depose Molibeli was rejected by the court. On April 18, 2020, Thabane reportedly had the top management of the LMPS, including Molibeli, arrested by the military.

organization

The LMPS performs normal police duties, including the fight against crime, including the fight against terrorism. One unit deals with the investigation of diamond and gem theft, another with cattle theft. Personal protection is granted to high-ranking politicians and judges. Because of the high rate of violent crimes, especially sexual offenses, armed robbery and homicides, the LMPS has a zero tolerance policy . In 2006 over 2,200 people worked in the police force.

The LMPS is subordinate to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Public Safety. It is headed by a Commissioner of Police . His deputy is the Deputy Commissioner of Police. Lesotho is divided into three police areas, each headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police . The headquarters is located in the center of the capital Maseru on Parliament Road.

The police officers' representative body is the Lesotho Mounted Police Service Staff Association (LMPSSA).

Others

As Police, Lesotho Mounted Police, Royal Lesotho Mounted Police and Lesotho Mounted Police Service FC , the police football club has long played in Lesotho's premier football league . In 1972 he won the championship. He plays his games in Maseru.

Web links

literature

  • Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , pp. 359-366.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Work for Justice. No. 74, May 2006, Transformation Center, via the LMPS ( Memento of 8 September 2014 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on 30 May 2014
  2. ^ A b c Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 360.
  3. ↑ The LMPS at Interpol , accessed on May 31, 2014
  4. ^ Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 363.
  5. ^ Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 364.
  6. ^ Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 365.
  7. ↑ Report at genderlinks.org.za (English), accessed on May 30, 2014
  8. ^ Tšooana demands job back. lestimes.com, April 30, 2015, accessed May 1, 2015
  9. ↑ Tšooana booted out of police. (English), accessed on August 21, 2015
  10. ↑ Tefo Tefo: Former police commissioner accused of murder. lestimes.com of March 24, 2018
  11. ↑ Mthakoana Ngatane: Lesotho: Top cop Molibeli says PM Thabane implicated in his wife's killing. ewn.co.za on January 6, 2020 (English), accessed on January 6, 2020
  12. ↑ Tom Thabane withdraws notice to suspend police boss Holomo Molibeli. ewn.co.za on January 9, 2020, accessed January 10, 2020
  13. ↑ Lesotho's premier relies on help from the military. dw.com from April 18, 2020
  14. ^ Agence France-Presse : Lesotho PM under police investigation deploys army to restore order. theguardian.com of April 18, 2020, accessed April 18, 2020
  15. ↑ List of Lesotho's football champions , accessed on June 12, 2013