Policing the Pandemic: an Investigation of Enforcement Practices During COVID-19 in Botswana

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the world in fundamental ways. Almost all countries across the world came up with containment measures to deal with the threat posed by the virus. This includes World Health Organizations' (WHO) sanctioned COVID-19 protocols that included movement restrictions, hand washing, mask wearing, curfews and quarantining individuals who were infected by the virus. Law enforcement agencies across countries were tasked with enforcing these regulations. Although African countries came up with some enforcement mechanisms, not much is known about the law enforcement practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the political economy approach and content analysis, we examined law enforcement practices during the COVID-19 lockdowns in Botswana. Our analysis identified key themes that relate to expansive policing, violent policing and human rights violations. Study findings demonstrate that the role of police increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and incidents of police violence were rampant. Furthermore, there were violations of human rights by law enforcement agencies where citizens were subjected to brutal acts by law enforcement. There is a need to develop effective policies that deal with law enforcement during public health crises not only in Botswana but other parts of the Global South.